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You've likely heard of Border Force workers, but there's a crucial job helping protect our country that's not widely known.
Customs brokers are essential in a country that relies on imports to keep moving.
Tasked with navigating complex customs regulations, ensuring compliance and helping businesses avoid costly delays and penalties, customs brokers are the gateway to bringing everything from cars to food and furniture in from overseas.
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"A lot of the time people don't actually know they need a customs broker until they need a customs broker," Renee Wilson said of her career.
Wilson explained that custom brokers get goods through customs, working out what duties, taxes and quarantine requirements apply to them.
Only 1551 people across Australia were licensed to fill the role as of July, with more than half of them aged over 50 and heading towards retirement age.
"It's an unknown industry," freight company Transitainer owner Kelly Crossley said.
She has warned a shortage of custom brokers will impact the whole country.
"If we have a shortage it's going to put a massive problem on the cargo coming in," she said.
She said the job came with an attractive $100,000 salary, as well as a car, superannuation payment and a phone.
"These are jobs that can be done working from home too so there's a lot of flexibility as well," Crossley said.
The qualification for the role requires completion of an online Diploma of Customs Broking course, which takes two years and costs less than $3000.
