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Australian Report On Progress Towards the Paperless Trading GoalsIn APECˇ¦s Blueprint for Action on Electronic Commerce
to approach each trading partner differently and take into consideration their particular circumstances. Another barrier is the time taken to submit electronic information as opposed to their current method of submitting the information. It is difficult to encourage trading partners to change to an electronic method if the electronic method places additional workload and processes on the user.
Job loss
There appears to be a fear on the part of staff whose jobs depend mainly on handling paper documents and fear of the consequences of change from familiar ways of doing business. This is a social and management issue which can be overcome with appropriate opportunities for re-training for more productive jobs. It is also a short term phenomenon. A study commissioned by NOIE in Australia, E-Commerce Beyond 2000 (www.noie.gov.au/beyond2000 ) found that electronic commerce would increase employment over the long term.
5.Future Cooperation
Please identify specific issues or areas in which APEC cooperation might assist your economy in meeting the APEC Blueprint for Action on Electronic Commerce paperless trading goals.
Government Procurement and Government Services online
• As a major user and customer, governments will be a significant catalyst for change, encouraging uptake by signalling its commitment to new technologies and supporting the development of a critical mass of users. APEC economies could accelerate the development of electronic business systems to support paperless trading through commitments to:
o Provide all government procurement-related processes on the internet within an agreed timeframe.
o Provide all appropriate government services on the internet within an agreed timeframe.
Risk Management
Movement to paperless trading implies moving to a risk management framework. This will involve the creation of electronic risk management procedures to facilitate automated targeting and profiling procedures based upon risk assessment to, for example, enable timely Customs alerts on high risk cargo and passengers. Risk management is being addressed in SCCP, but other subfora may wish to develop work programs, including technical assistance programs.
o There may be some scope for developing an APEC Best Practices Guide on risk management.
Single Electronic Windows
Streamlining clearances and issuance of certificates are essential to ensuring seamless processing of goods across the border. Single Electronic Windows are an important method of ensuring this. APEC subfora, especially the SCCP, could discuss development of single electronic windows to incorporate customs, quarantine and inspection and other relevant agencies.
o Australia would be interested in exchanging information and experiences with establishing single electronic windows and business entry points on the internet.
o Sanitary certification is an essential element of ensuring seamless processing of goods at the border and APEC could pursue streamlining of this process. The TPT-WG ˇ§APEC paperless trading demonstration projectˇ¨ will create an opportunity for many APEC economies to trial SANCRT, a globally acceptable electronic certificate developed by Australiaˇ¦s AQIS and designed to remove the need for paper certificates where importing economies will accept it. A number of APEC economies are [next page]