Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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CATTLE EXPORT CHARGE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1994 NO. 121

STATUTORY RULES 1994 No. 121

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy

CATTLE EXPORT CHARGE ACT 1990

CATTLE EXPORT CHARGE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)

The Cattle Export Charge Act 1990 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing matters for the purposes of the Act.

The Act imposes a charge on the export of cattle, other than dairy cattle and this charge consists of two components, which raise funds for the following purposes:

(a)       financing of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation (AMLC); and

(b)       financing of the Meat Research Corporation (MRC).

Subsections 8(4) and 8(6) of the Act provide that the two Corporations may not make recommendations to the Minister in relation to the rates of charge unless a motion to endorse a recommendation has been put before the annual general meeting of the appropriate Corporation and has been carried. Additionally, the Act requires the Corporations to provide, in writing, details of the voting on the motion to the Minister.

The purpose of the regulations is to implement recommendations from the AMLC and MRC to reduce their respective charge components because of higher than expected collections from the charge since its introduction on 1 February 1991. The effect of the AMLC charge reductions is to reduce the Corporation's level of reserves, while the MRC charge reductions are aimed at returning to the industry past overcollections from this period.

The AMLC put a motion before its annual general meeting on 25 November 1993 proposing decreases in the operative rates of the AMLC components of the Cattle Export Charge, the Beef Production Levy and the Cattle Transaction Levy from 1 July 1994. This motion was passed and the AMLC has notified the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, in writing, of details of the voting on this motion, as required by the Act.

The MRC similarly put a motion before its annual general meeting on 24 November 1993 proposing decreases in the operative rates of the MRC components of the Cattle Export Charge, the Beef Production Levy and the Cattle Transaction Levy from 1 July 1994. This motion was also passed and the MRC has notified the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, in writing, of details of the voting on this motion, as required by the Act.

The relevant operative rates of charge and the prescribed maximum rates are as follows:

(per kg live weight)	Rates from      1 July 1993	Rates from      1 July 1994	Prescribed maximum rates
AMLC	0.95 cents	0.80 cents	2.0 cents
MRC	0.27 cents	0.247 cents	0.5 cents
Total	1.22 cents	1.047 cents