As a well-developed, business-friendly economy, Western Australia offers attractive opportunities for overseas companies across a broad range of industry sectors, including business and financial services, biotechnology, rail, ports and logistics, and food products and services.
The Department of Agriculture’s Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is the agency responsible for setting the rules on imports; the department’s BICON search is a user-friendly database that contains Australian import conditions for more than 20,000 plant, animal, microbial, mineral, and human products.
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and australia.gov.au provide helpful information on import rules and regulations to overseas businesses looking to export to Australia, including import entry costs, valuation, and rules of origin.
Doing Business in Western Australia, by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia (CCIWA), summarises laws relating to importing and exporting, Australia’s foreign investment policy and other business-related matters.
Overseas exporters must be mindful that Australian regulations vary from state to state. Companies planning to export to states other than Western Australia should check import regulations for these states to ensure compliance to specific state regulations.
Businesses intending to export to Australia must also ensure that their product meets Australian standards. For example, the CE (Conformité Européene or European Conformity) mark, which is mandatory for goods sold within the European Economic Area, is not normally recognised in Australia.