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back to article Laptop imports declared SECRET in Australia

Australians aren't allowed to know the value of laptop computers being imported to the country. The Australian Bureau of Statistics' new Confidential Commodities List removes “Laptops, notebooks, palmtops and tablets, weighing more than 1 kg but not more than 3 kg, consisting of at least a central processing unit, a keyboard …

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  1. Jonbays

    Yep they're lawyering up on you Simon. They're from the government and they're here to help that's all you need to know.

    1 0 Reply
  2. MrDamage Silver badge

    Apple Theory II

    It could be so they can hide from Australian punters how little those macbooks are truly worth as compared to what they are being charged.

    2 1 Reply
  3. John Tserkezis

    Yep, you're allowed to know that you're being screwed, but not by how much.

    1 0 Reply
  4. Medixstiff

    Could it also be the government covering up how much networking kit telco's had to buy to become compliant with the new data retention flaws, I mean laws?

    Would SAN storage be included in networking kit?

    1 0 Reply
  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Perhaps...

    It was UDP only kit.

    The good thing about UDP jokes is that nobody cares if you get them.

    *snort*

    2 0 Reply
    1. P. Lee
      Reply Icon

      Re: Perhaps...

      I think the relevancy of the joke got lost in transit. :)

      What about other industries? Is Coles allowed to hide when it gets a large shipment of cranberries from china?

      1 0 Reply
  6. Tannin

    One assumes insanely expensive cost-no-object kit for the secret police security force so that they can better protect watch us. Don't talk about it, you'll be dissapeared and no-one will know.

    1 0 Reply
  7. Mark 65

    While we wait for that, two important questions remain unanswered about the laptop data crimp:

    Who requested confidentiality for laptop imports, and why?

    Why did the ban on networking data last only a month?

    A pet theory for question one: Apple's finding ways to hide its affairs from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). If it can import a swag of MacBooks without their value being made public, the ATO will find it harder to pick apart the pricing practices it uses to avoid tax.

    I'd imagine the ATO can get its hands on the data, what with it being slightly higher up the pecking order than the ABS given it raises a lot more revenue that it pisses away.

    1 0 Reply
  8. Gumby1

    M$

    Would this be some of the kit for the upcoming M$ DC sharepoint host in Oz?

    1 0 Reply

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