EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997
Declaration of Industry Marketing Body
The Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997 (the Industry Act) and the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (Repeals and Consequential Provisions) Act 1997 (the Consequentials Act) and related Acts gave effect to the Government’s decision of 18 March 1997 to reform the structures in the red meat industry.
These Acts provide for the replacement of three statutory bodies providing services in the areas of marketing and promotion, and research and development with a producer owned service delivery company. This company will be established under Corporations Law as a company limited by guarantee and be partly funded by statutory levies imposed on beef, sheep and goat producers. These Acts and related Acts received Royal Assent on 17 December 1997 and commenced by proclamation on 1 July 1998.
Sub-section 60(1) of the Industry Act provides that the Minister may, in writing, declare a body to be the industry marketing body. In making this declaration, the Minister must be satisfied that the body is a company limited by guarantee incorporated under the Corporations Law and that having regard to its membership, its memorandum and articles of association and any other undertakings or agreements it has entered into with other industry representatives or the Minister (or both), the body can appropriately represent the industry’s marketing, promotion or other prescribed interests. The body must have also consented to the declaration.
The purpose of this instrument is to declare Meat & Livestock Australia Limited to be the industry marketing body from 1 July 1998.
Section 63 of the Industry Act provides for certain payments, in the form of industry levies to be made to the industry marketing body from Consolidated Revenue Fund to enable it to adequately carry out these industry functions.