Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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EXPORT INSPECTION (QUANTITY CHARGE) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1997 NO.408

STATUTORY RULES 1997 No. 408

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

Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Act 1985

Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Regulations (Amendment)

Section 10 of the Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Act 1985 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act, and, in particular, exempting a class or classes of a prescribed commodity from charge, and prescribing different rates of charge in respect of different classes of prescribed commodity.

The Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Regulations (the Regulations) prescribe quantity charges payable by persons in whose name an export permit is issued under the Export Control Act 1982 by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). The quantity charges are part of the mix of charges agreed by industry to recover the costs of providing export inspection services.

The purpose of the Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Regulations (Amendment) is to prescribe reduced rates of charge for the remainder of the 1997/98 financial year for the inspection of bulk grain, bagged grain and containerised grain for export. The proposed Regulations reduce the quantity charge for bulk grain which is not subject to a certification assurance arrangement from 13.5 cents to 10.8 cents per tonne and reduces the quantity charge for bulk grain which is subject to a certification assurance arrangement from 5.1 cents to 3.8 cents per tonne. The Regulations also reduce the quantity charge for bagged grain from $l to 80 cents per tonne and the quantity charge for containerised grain from $5 to $4 per tonne. All revised fees have been endorsed by grain industry representative groups.

The reductions are due to an increase in the estimated export tonnage of grains for the 1997/98 financial year. The estimate has been compiled on the advice of peak industry bodies, including the Australian Wheat Board and the Australian Barley Board. The rate per tonne was previously calculated on exports of 16 million tonnes and this estimate has now been increased to 17.5 million tonnes. The additional 1.5 million tonnes has the effect of requiring a lower rate per tonne to recover costs relevant to the provision of inspection services for the Export Grains Programme.

The Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Regulations (Amendment) amends the Regulations as follows:

Regulation 1 - Commencement

Subregulation 1.1 provides that the Regulations as amended will commence on 13 January 1998.

Regulation 2 - Amendment

Subregulation 2.1 provides that the Regulations are amended as set out in the Export Inspection (Quantity Charge) Regulations (Amendment).

Regulation 3 - Schedule (Rates of Charge)

Subregulation 3.1 omits "13.5 cents" from Item 1, Column 3 of the Schedule and substitutes "10.8 cents".

Subregulation 3.2 omits "5.1 cents" from Item 1, Column 3 of the Schedule and substitutes "3.8 cents".

Subregulation 3.3 omits "$1" from Item 1, Column 3 of the Schedule and substitutes "80 cents".

Subregulation 3.4 omits "$5" from Item 1, Column 3 of the Schedule and substitutes "$4".