28th March 2024

As part of the Australian Government’s response to the Samuel Review of the Environment Protection, Biodiversity & Conservation Act (EPBC Act), it has released the Nature Positive Plan. This plan includes several pieces of legislation, one of which will include the long awaited implementation of Musical Instrument Passports.

These passports will be available to musicians carrying an instrument (or related product, such as a bow) that contains a CITES Appendix I listed species, in order to carry the instrument across borders without applying for separate permits each time.

This will benefit the industry and musicians, reduce red tape for both the government musicians that require permits, and assist in efforts to protect endangered species through the CITES process.

Examples of musical instruments that may require a passport include a set of bagpipes, made in the 1950s when Ivory was commonly used as part of the instrument, or a guitar containing Brazilian Rosewood before it was listed in Appendix I of the CITES treaty.

The AMA has been involved in industry consultation on this issue, maintains contact with our international partners that lead this work, and is responding to the consultation with a submission.

Musical Instrument Passports are not yet available but the AMA will share information about this when the policy has been implemented, assuming this proceeds as planned.

Read more about how passports operate in Europe, with the Crossing Borders publication produced by FIM and PEARLE (these organisations are equivalent to Australia’s LPA & MEAA).