Thursday, November 02, 2006

Now how does this ......

How exactly does this dog collar pose a risk to the quarantine and import laws of Australia? Dunno, you'd have to ask AQIS ,as in their wisdom and without much explanation they deemed my package from NewZealand; which contained a custom made woven dog collar with my dogs name and breed club on it, complete with two "D" rings for sized adjustments and a brass ring for lead clip connection; as in need of being opened and inspected. I got a pamphlet that told me "OPENED FOR INSPECTION"Duh, obviously with the "passed quarantine" yellow sticker and the bad tape job resealling it. And" no items have been removed" Ahh, yeah, you would have had to remove it to inspect it, wouldn't you? Then it goes on the speel about it was "opened by Australia Post for inspection by AQIS" as the screening process using "detector dogs and x-ray machines, indicated there may have been an item of quarantine concern in your mail"
Nope, sorry guys not enough evidence of that, see there is no law about importing dog collars except used ones from OS and pinch or pronged ones to Victoria. Nothing on your websites or in any paperwork. A dog would have picked up nothing as the collar is BRAND NEW and made from webbing and an x-ray would have shown you what it was EXACTLY or at least the two "D" rings and brass ring.
So I call the AQIS mail centre and get a different story, that mail is randomly opened by AQIS ( contary to the pamphlet information"opened by Australia Post) for survey by AQIS...Not good enough, which is it? Apart from the pamphlet indicating that there should have been another brochure enclosed about what can and cannot be mailed to Australia, there was no other information, including the brochure that should have been enclosed.
The customs declaration clearly stated it was a "dog collar" the weight would have told you it was neither all metal not used primary product, a feel of the package could have told you exactly what it was without knowing. I find this invasion into ones privacy neither in the interests of Australia's protection nor in the rights of the Government nor its bodies.

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