Just off phone to FedEx and they refuse to ship hand tools to Australia as the country would not accept them because they are used!!? Anybody heard of this before?

Sounds a bit fishy to me, plenty of people have brought their tools to Oz. Mind you, I'm not a fan of FedEx since they refused to ship drugs to Greece for me.

Rubbish. Many people ship their tools to Aus. Just a question of someone finding the AQIS rules too complex I reckon!

Try Seven Seas, Excess Baggage, or any other shipping company.

Erm, just realized how this sounded. My sister was in Crete and had run out of prescription medicine, which wasn't available in Greece. So the drugs were legal

Don't suppose I can blame FedEx, but I had a letter from her doctor on the medical practice's letterhead saying that the drug was needed urgently, and a prescription to send, but still no go.

I brought my electric saw and electric drill in. ........ well and truly used.

Is that all you've got

Just off phone for a 3rd time and told the same thing. Customs will not accept used tools into Australia. And told its not a new rule. The company I am joining has an account with FedEx so wont be able to use another courier. Will need to stick them into the container I think. Which means I'll be tool less for the first 4 weeks of my new job. I'm sure they'll be impressed

FEDEX are wrong, AQIS do accept used tools. Sounds like crossed wires (as often happens) where they are thinking used = unclean = won't get past quarantine.
You can send them yourself (though of course that will cost you rather than the company) with any shipping/airfreight company, or as you say just put them in the container.
Depends how badly you want them here.

Perhaps explain all the above to the company you're joining?

I know. Sad isn't it. Never having owned a man cave its about all I have.

It was 4 years ago, but hubby shipped two tool boxes in our shared container. AQIS had no problems with it. I could see if they were covered in dirt or something, but clean tools, just used?

I'd guess it's just that if AQIS do complain, it goes into the 'too difficult pile'. There's probably no part of their processes that allow remedial action, just accept/reject - and so they just ban them because of their potential to be 'too difficult'.

Third parties might work, but those that do airmail tend to end up using one of the big names anyway, so probably get covered by the same rules.

If they were small enough I might look at putting them in checked luggage, otherwise its ship transport and 3 months.

I shipped the majority of my tools in the container and took my meters and a toolbag of select tools in our luggage. We did have the advantage of the migrant baggage allowance though which helped. I also had the meters in my carry on bag (with the leads in the hold luggage so there was no issue with them) - and I wore my steelies on the plane

Just do airfreight through a shipping company, rather than airmail.
Most of my stuff came by ship, but I sent two boxes through the same company by air, gets it here quicker and it avoids using an airmail/courier service, so you get someone more familiar with the rules. Its also generally cheaper than airmail/courier.

Ask FedEx to put it in writing

When they ask why you say their competitors will need it for the forth coming ad campaign.