(i) a warrant in the terms of the application should be issued urgently; or
(ii) the delay that would occur if an application were made in person would frustrate the effective execution of the warrant.
(5) If the magistrate decides to issue the warrant, the magistrate is to tell the applicant, by telephone, telex, fax or other electronic means, of the terms of the warrant and the day and time when it was signed.
(6) The applicant must then complete a form of warrant in terms substantially corresponding to those given by the magistrate, stating on the form the name of the magistrate and the day and time when the warrant was signed.
(7) The applicant must give or send to the magistrate the form of warrant completed by the applicant and, if the information referred to in subsection (3) was not sworn, that information duly sworn. The applicant must do so not later than the day after the earlier of the following days:
(a) the day of expiry of the warrant;
(b) the day on which the warrant was first executed.
(8) The magistrate is to attach to the documents provided under subsection (7) the form of warrant completed by the magistrate.
(9) If:
(a) it is material, in any proceedings, for a court to be satisfied that the exercise of a power under a warrant issued under this section was duly authorised; and
(b) the form of warrant signed by the magistrate is not produced in evidence;
the court is to assume, unless the contrary is proved, that the exercise of the power was not duly authorised.
214AH Monitoring officer may ask questions
(1) If a monitoring officer is in or on premises that he or she entered with the consent of the occupier of the premises, the officer may request the occupier to answer any questions put by the monitoring officer, but the occupier is not obliged to comply with the request.
(2) If a monitoring officer is in or on premises that he or she has entered under a warrant issued under section 214AF or 214AG, the officer may require any person on the premises to answer any questions put by the monitoring officer.
Note: Failure to answer a question put under this subsection may be an offence. See section 243SA.
214AI Monitoring officer may ask for assistance
(1) If a monitoring officer is in or on premises that he or she entered with the consent of the occupier of the premises under section 214AE, the officer may request the occupier to provide reasonable assistance to the officer at any time while the officer is entitled to remain in or on the premises, but the occupier is not obliged to comply with the request.
(2) If a monitoring officer is in or on premises that he or she entered under a warrant issued under section 214AF or 214AG, the officer may require the occupier to provide reasonable assistance to the officer at any time while the officer is entitled to remain on the premises.
(3) The monitoring officer may request or require the assistance for the purpose of the exercise of monitoring powers by the officer in relation to the premises.
(4) A person must not fail to comply with a requirement made of the person under subsection (2).
Penalty: 30 penalty units.
(5) An offence against subsection (4) is an offence of strict liability.
214AJ Compensation for damage to electronic equipment
(1) This section applies if:
(a) damage is caused to equipment as a result of it being operated as mentioned in subsection 214AB(2); or
(b) the data recorded on the equipment is damaged or programs associated with its use are damaged or corrupted;
because:
(c) insufficient care was exercised in selecting the person who was to operate the equipment; or
(d) insufficient care was exercised by the person operating the equipment.
(2) The Commonwealth must pay to the owner of the equipment, or the user of the data or programs, such reasonable compensation for the damage or corruption as they agree on.
(3) However, if the owner or user and the Commonwealth fail to agree, the owner or user may institute proceedings against the Commonwealth in the Federal Court of Australia for such reasonable amount of compensation as the Court determines.
(4) In determining the amount of compensation payable, regard is to be had to whether the occupier of the premises or the occupier’s employees and agents, if they were available at the time, provided any appropriate warning or guidance on the operation of the equipment.
(5) Compensation is payable out of money appropriated by the Parliament.
(6) For the purposes of subsection (1), damage to data includes damage by erasure of data or addition of other data.
214B Powers of officers for purposes of Customs Tariff (Anti‑Dumping) Act 1975
(1) For the purposes of the Customs Tariff (Anti‑Dumping) Act 1975 an authorized officer may, at all reasonable times, enter premises where there are kept any accounts, books or other records relating to goods exported to Australia or manufactured or produced, or sold, in Australia and may inspect any such accounts, books, documents or other records and make and retain copies of, or take and retain extracts from, any such accounts, books, documents or other records.
(2) Where an authorized officer proposes to enter any premises under subsection (1), he or she shall, if requested to do so by the occupier or person in charge of the premises, produce for inspection written evidence of the fact that he or she is an authorized officer and, if he or she fails to do so, he or she is not authorized to enter the premises.
(3) The occupier or person in charge of premises referred to in subsection (1) shall provide the authorized officer with all reasonable facilities and assistance for the effective exercise of his or her powers under subsection (1).
Penalty: 10 penalty units.
(4) An authorized officer may, by notice signed by him or her, require a person whom he or she believes to be capable of giving information that is relevant to the operation of the Customs Tariff (Anti‑Dumping) Act 1975 and relates to goods exported to Australia or manufactured or produced, or sold, in Australia to attend before him or her at the time and place specified in the notice and there to answer questions and produce to him or her such accounts, books, documents or other records in relation to goods exported to Australia or manufactured or produced, or sold, in Australia as are referred to in the notice.
(5) An authorized officer may make and retain copies of, or take and retain extracts from, any accounts, books, documents or other records produced in pursuance of subsection (4).
(6) A person is not excused from answering a question or producing any accounts, books, documents or other records when required to do so under subsection (4) on the grounds that the answer to the question, or the production of the accounts, books, documents or other records, might tend to incriminate the person or make him or her liable to a penalty, but the person’s answer to any such question or the production by him or her of any such accounts, books, documents or other records is not admissible in evidence against him or her in proceedings other than proceedings for an offence against this section or proceedings in respect of the falsity of any such answer.
(7) An authorized officer may examine, on oath or affirmation, a person attending before him or her in pursuance of subsection (4) and, for that purpose, may administer an oath or affirmation to that person.
(8) The oath or affirmation to be made by a person for the purposes of subsection (7) is an oath or affirmation that the answers he or she will give to questions asked of him or her will be true.
(9) A person shall not refuse or fail:
(a) to attend before an authorized officer; or
(b) to make an oath or an affirmation; or
(c) to answer a question or produce an account, book, document or other record;
when so required in pursuance of this section.
Penalty: 10 penalty units.
(10) Subsection (9) does not apply if the person has a reasonable excuse.
Subdivision JA—Powers to monitor and audit—Australia‑United States Free Trade Agreement
214BAA Simplified outline
The following is a simplified outline of this Subdivision:
• This Subdivision allows certain officers (verification officers) to enter premises, and to exercise certain powers (AUSFTA verification powers) in or on the premises, for the purpose of verifying information relating to the export, production or transportation of textile and clothing goods that are exported to the US.
• However, verification officers may only enter premises under this Subdivision with the occupier’s consent.
• In entering premises and exercising AUSFTA verification powers, verification officers may be accompanied by US customs officials, but only with the occupier’s consent.
214BAB Definitions
In this Subdivision:
Agreement means the Australia‑United States Free Trade Agreement done at Washington DC on 18 May 2004, as amended from time to time.
Note: In 2004 the text of the Agreement was accessible through the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
AUSFTA verification powers has the meaning given by section 214BAC.
Harmonized System has the same meaning as in section 153YA.
occupier of premises includes a person who is apparently in charge of the premises.
textile and clothing goods means goods that are classified to:
(a) subheading 4202.12, 4202.22, 4202.32 or 4202.92 of Chapter 42 of the Harmonized System; or
(b) any of Chapters 50 to 63 of the Harmonized System; or
(c) heading 7019 of Chapter 70 of the Harmonized System; or
(d) subheading 9409.90 of Chapter 94 of the Harmonized System.
US means the United States of America.
US customs official means a person representing the customs administration of the US.
verification officer means a person authorised under section 214BAD to enter premises and to exercise AUSFTA verification powers.
214BAC AUSFTA verification powers
(1) For the purposes of this Subdivision, the following are the AUSFTA verification powers:
(a) the power to search premises;
(b) the power to take photographs (including a video recording), or make sketches, of premises or anything at premises;
(c) the power to inspect, examine, count, measure, weigh, gauge, test or analyse, and take samples of, anything in or on premises;
(d) the power to inspect any document or record in or on premises;
(e) the power to take extracts from, or make copies of, any document or record in or on premises;
(f) the power to take into or onto premises any equipment or material reasonably necessary for the purpose of exercising a power under paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e);
(g) the power to test and operate record‑keeping, accounting, computing or other operating systems of any kind that are at premises and may be used to generate or record information or documents of a kind that may be communicated to the Department;
(h) the powers in subsections (2) and (3).
Operation of equipment
(2) For the purposes of this Subdivision, the AUSFTA verification powers include the power to operate equipment at premises to see whether:
(a) the equipment; or
(b) a disk, tape or other storage device that:
(i) is at the premises; and
(ii) can be used with the equipment or is associated with it;
contains information that is relevant to the verification of information relating to the export, production or transportation of textile and clothing goods that are exported to the US.
Removing documents and disks etc.
(3) For the purposes of this Subdivision, the AUSFTA verification powers include the following powers in relation to information described in subsection (2) that is found in the exercise of the power under that subsection:
(a) the power to operate equipment or other facilities at the premises to put the information in documentary form and remove the documents so produced;
(b) the power to operate equipment or other facilities at the premises to transfer the information to a disk, tape or other storage device:
(i) that is brought to the premises for the exercise of the power; or
(ii) that is at the premises and the use of which for the purpose has been agreed in writing by the occupier of the premises;
and to remove the disk, tape or other storage device from the premises.
214BAD Appointment of verification officers
(1) The Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by writing, authorise an officer to enter premises, and to exercise AUSFTA verification powers in or on premises, for the purposes of this Subdivision.
Who may be authorised to be a verification officer
(2) The Comptroller‑General of Customs must not do so unless the Comptroller‑General of Customs is satisfied that the officer is suitably qualified, because of the officer’s abilities and experience, to exercise AUSFTA verification powers.
Form of authorisation
(3) An authorisation may apply:
(a) generally; or
(b) during a specified period; or
(c) in or on specified premises; or
(d) during a specified period in or on specified premises.
AUSFTA verification powers to be used only as authorised
(4) This Subdivision does not allow:
(a) an officer who is authorised to enter premises and exercise AUSFTA verification powers during a specified period to enter the premises or exercise the powers at a time outside that period; or
(b) an officer who is authorised to enter specified premises and to exercise AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises to enter other premises or to exercise the powers in or on the other premises.
214BAE Verification officers may enter premises and exercise AUSFTA verification powers with consent
(1) A verification officer may enter premises, and exercise AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises, to the extent that it is reasonably necessary for the purpose of verifying information relating to the export, production or transportation of textile and clothing goods that are exported to the US.
Occupier’s consent required
(2) However, a verification officer must not enter premises under this section unless the occupier of the premises consents to the officer entering the premises and exercising AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises.
(3) Before obtaining a consent under subsection (2), a verification officer must give to the occupier of the premises a written notice stating:
(a) that the officer wishes to enter the premises and exercise AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises; and
(b) the period during which the officer wishes to exercise the powers; and
(c) the name of any US customs official who the officer proposes will accompany the officer.
(4) Before obtaining a consent under subsection (2), a verification officer must tell the occupier of the premises that the occupier may refuse consent.
(5) An occupier of premises may express a consent to be limited to entry to the premises, and to the exercise of AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises, during a particular period unless the occupier withdraws the consent before the end of that period.
(6) An occupier’s consent that is not so limited has effect in relation to any entry to the premises, and to any exercise of AUSFTA verification powers in or on the premises, until the occupier withdraws the consent.
Verification officer must leave premises if consent withdrawn
(7) A verification officer must leave the premises if the occupier withdraws the consent.
Consent to be voluntary
(8) A consent of a person does not have effect for the purposes of this section unless it is voluntary.
Consent, or withdrawal of consent, to be in writing
(9) A consent of a person, or a withdrawal of consent by a person, does not have effect for the purposes of this section unless it is in writing.
Notice setting out the occupier’s rights and obligations
(10) Before exercising AUSFTA verification powers in respect of premises, a verification officer must give to the occupier of the premises a written notice setting out the occupier’s rights and obligations under this Subdivision.
Production of identity card
(11) Before a verification officer enters premises or exercises any AUSFTA verification powers, he or she must produce his or her identity card to the occupier.
214BAF US customs officials may accompany verification officers
Occupier’s consent required
(1) In entering premises and exercising AUSFTA verification powers, a verification officer may be accompanied by one or more US customs officials, but only if the officer obtains the consent of the occupier of the premises to those officials accompanying the officer.
(2) Before obtaining such a consent, a verification officer must tell the occupier of the premises that the occupier may refuse consent.
US customs officials must leave premises if consent withdrawn
(3) The US customs officials must leave the premises if the occupier withdraws the consent.
Consent to be voluntary
(4) A consent of a person does not have effect for the purposes of this section unless it is voluntary.
Consent, or withdrawal of consent, to be in writing
(5) A consent of a person, or a withdrawal of consent by a person, does not have effect for the purposes of this section unless it is in writing.
214BAG Availability of assistance in exercising AUSFTA verification powers
In entering premises and exercising AUSFTA verification powers, a verification officer may obtain such assistance as is necessary and reasonable in the circumstances.
214BAH Verification officer may ask questions
(1) If a verification officer is in or on premises that he or she entered under this Subdivision, the officer may request the occupier to answer any questions put by the officer.
(2) The occupier is not obliged to comply with the request.
214BAI Verification officer may ask for assistance