CANBERRA - Australia's postal service said on Tuesday that it has immediately suspended most parcel postage services to the United States ahead of new import tariffs coming into effect.

Australia Post announced on Tuesday morning that Australian businesses selling products to American customers will be blocked from using the government-owned carrier for shipping, effective immediately.

The decision was announced ahead of US tariffs on low-value parcels coming into effect on Friday, and brings Australia Post into line with postal services around the world that have halted US shipments.

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Australia Post said it would continue shipping letters and documents to the United States, as well as packages that are declared as gifts and worth less than $100.

Gary Starr, executive general manager of parcel, post and e-commerce services at Australia Post, said in a statement that the decision was made to ensure compliance with new US Customs and Border Protection requirements.

"We are disappointed we have had to take this action," he said.

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"Due to the complex and rapidly evolving situation, a temporary partial suspension has been necessary to allow us to develop and implement a workable solution for our customers."

Australia Post said that the suspension would remain in place until further notice.

US President Donald Trump in late July signed an executive order abolishing from Aug 29 an exemption that allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter his country duty-free.