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Registration process for conference agreements

A conference agreement is an agreement between members of a liner shipping conference in relation to inwards or outwards liner cargo shipping services provided, or proposed to be provided, by those members.

There are three stages to the process for registration of conference agreements under Part X of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (the Act). The requirements are outlined in Division 6 (Registration of Conference Agreements) of the Act and Regulations 38 and 40 of the Competition and Consumer Regulations 2010 (the Regulations).

The three stages DOCX: 24 KB PDF: 192 KB are:

  1. Provisional registration
  2. Negotiation with Designated Shipper Body
  3. Final registration

Please note that where registration of a conference agreement involves both an outwards liner cargo shipping service and an inwards liner cargo shipping service, two applications for registration must be submitted to the Registrar of Liner Shipping. Form 1 (Provisional Registration), or Form 2 (Final Registration) and where required, Form 3 (Confidentiality Request), and the prescribed fees must be provided for each of the two applications. Forms and prescribed fees can be found here.

The information provided on this website should be used as guidance material only. Shipping lines involved in international liner shipping services to Australia should refer directly to the Act and Regulations. It is recommended that independent legal advice be sought. The Registrar of Liner Shipping may be contacted for guidance.