Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

[Index] [Search] [Download] [Related Items] [Help]


MEAT AND LIVE-STOCK INDUSTRY REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1997 NO. 209

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

STATUTORY RULES 1997 No. 209

issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy

Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1995

Meat and Live-stock Industry Regulations (Amendment)

Subsection 226(1) of the Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1995 (the MLI Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of the Act.

Section 3 of the MLI Act provides, inter alia, that for the purposes of the Act "live-stock" means cattle, sheep, lambs, goats or other prescribed animals and "meat" means the flesh of "live-stock".

The MLI Act, which commenced on 1 July 1995, provided for the continued existence of the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation (AMLC). The AMLC had previously been constituted under the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation Act 1977 (the AMLC Act). Under the AMLC Act buffaloes had been included as an animal within the meaning of "livestock" and the industry had paid levies to the AMLC for use in promotion and market development.

At the time the revised meat industry statutory arrangements were introduced under the MLI Act, the buffalo industry decided to shift its resources to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). Consequently, buffaloes were not included in the definition of "live-stock" under the MLI Act, and since 1 July 1995, buffalo levies have been paid to RIRDC.

Since the implementation of the revised arrangements, the AMIC has identified a surplus of unspent buffalo funds, which it has agreed to repay to the industry via a payment to RIRDC. However, the AMLC cannot legally make any payments in relation to buffaloes under present circumstances.

The purpose of these amendments is to prescribe buffaloes as an animal within the meaning of "livestock" for the purposes of the MLI Act. This will allow the AMLC to make the payment of unspent buffalo levy funds to RIRDC, but will also require that exporters of buffaloes and buffalo meat be licensed for the period of operation of the regulation. In view of this, the amendment will commence on gazettal, but will cease to have effect on 1 September 1997 to minimise disruption to the buffalo industry.

Details of the regulations are as follows:

Regulation 1 provides for a commencement date of 1 September 1997 for Regulation 4. The remainder will commence on gazettal.

Regulation 2 provides for the Meat and Live-stock Industry Regulations to be amended by the Meat and Live-stock Industry Regulations (Amendment).

Regulation 3 inserts a new Regulation 3A into the Meat and Live-stock Industry Regulations prescribing buffaloes as an animal within the meaning of "live-stock" for the purposes of the Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1995.

Regulation 4 omits the new Regulation 3A on 1 September 1997.


[Index] [Related Items] [Search] [Download] [Help]