Parliamentary Inquiry into the Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Trade

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement (the committee) has initiated an inquiry whereby the committee will examine the legal and administrative arrangements for ensuring Australia’s compliance with its obligations, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to restrict the trade in elephants and rhinoceroses.

This would appear to include the sale of any item containing ivory, and although this would impact in only limited circumstances, it may well effect owners of heritage (and sometimes valuable) instruments. The AMA has contacted the Australian Piano Tuners & Technicians Association and some member retailers specialising in pianos. We have also consulted with the Australian Violin Makers Association regarding a submission.

Submissions to the inquiry will be received until June 7 and the terms of reference can be viewed here.

Included in the terms of reference are;

  1. the potential to strengthen existing legislation and administrative arrangements, including through agreements with the states and territories, to reduce the domestic trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;
  2. supporting efforts to close domestic markets for elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;

This could affect some in the musical instruments trade, in respect to heritage instruments particularly some of which are highly valued by musicians

The full terms of reference are as follows;

On 28 March 2018, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement (the committee) initiated the following inquiry:

Pursuant to paragraph 7(1)(g) of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Act 2010, the committee will examine the legal and administrative arrangements for ensuring Australia’s compliance with its obligations, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to restrict the trade in elephants and rhinoceroses including:

  1. the incidence of importation to, and exportation from, Australia of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;
  2. the adequacy of existing arrangements and resources for the screening of imports and exports for elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;
  3. the involvement of serious and organised crime groups, including international crime groups, in the importation, exportation and/or sale of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products in Australia;
  4. what arrangements exist with auction houses, electronic market places and other brokers to prevent illegally imported elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn being sold in Australia;
  5. the effectiveness of existing domestic legislation and compliance frameworks to restrict trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products, with particular regard to the role of the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force;
  6. the effectiveness of current monitoring and regulation, including the extent and use of legally mandated provenance documentation attached to elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn;
  7. the authenticity of provenance documentation and the effectiveness of measures to detect forged or fraudulent documentation;
  8. the potential to strengthen existing legislation and administrative arrangements, including through agreements with the states and territories, to reduce the domestic trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;
  9. supporting efforts to close domestic markets for elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn products;
  10. engagement by Australian law enforcement agencies with regional and international counterparts to address the illegal trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn;
  11. the nature and effectiveness of measures, models and legislation adopted in other jurisdictions to address the trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn; and
  12. any other related matters.

The committee invites the Australian Music Association to provide a submission addressing the terms of reference by 7 June 2018.

Submissions should be lodged online at https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/OnlineSubmission or via email to le.committee@aph.gov.au. The submission must include the full name of the organisation or author and contact details, preferably in a separate covering letter. More information about making a submission can be found on the Parliament House website.