Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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PRAWN EXPORT PROMOTION LEVIES AND CHARGES REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1996 NO.238

STATUTORY RULES 1996 No. 238

Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Resources and Energy

Prawn Boat Levy Act 1995

Prawn Export Promotion Levies and Charges Regulations (Amendment)

The Prawn Boat Levy Act 1995 (Levy Act) provides in section 9 that the Governor-General has power to make regulations prescribing the rate of prawn boat levy.

This Act, together with the Prawn Export Charge Act 1995 (Charge Act) and the Prawn Export Promotion Act 1995 (Export Promotion Act) give legal force to a Government-industry scheme to promote Australian sea-caught prawns in overseas markets using funds raised from the fishing industry. The prawn boat levy is one of the means by which the scheme is funded. The Export Promotion Act provides the administrative framework for the scheme.

As required under section 9 of the Levy Act, before making regulations prescribing the rate of boat levy, the Governor-General took into consideration a recommendation relating to the rate of levy made to the Minister by the Australian Prawn Promotion Association Limited (APPA), the prescribed industry organisation. This recommendation was approved at APPA's most recent annual general meeting, held on 3 July 1996. The change to the rates of levy prescribed matches the recommendation.

The rates of boat levy for three of the four boat length classes were left unchanged at $50, $100 and $200 respectively, but the rate of $500 in respect of boats not less than 18 metres in length was replaced by two different rates. The levy for boats not less than 18 metres but under 20 metres in length became $400 and the levy for boats 20 metres or over in length became $600. The maximum permissible rate is $750.

Details of the Regulations are as follows.

Regulation 1 provides for the amendment of the principal Regulations as set out below.

Regulation 2 omits paragraph 3(d) of the principal Regulations and substitutes new paragraphs 3(d) and 3(e) which prescribe respectively $400 and $600 as the prawn boat levies for the two length classes not less than 18 metres.

The Regulations commenced on gazettal.