Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993

Administered by Department of Agriculture

Legislation au C2004A04655 Not in force Act

Legislation content

 

 

 

 

 

 

Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993

 

No. 100 of 1993

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to impose a charge on certain meat premises

 

 

 

Contents

1  Short title

2  Commencement

3  Interpretation

4  Act to bind Crown

5  Charge criteria

6  Imposition of charge

7  Amount of charge—financial years after 1993/94 financial year

8  Amount of charge—1993/94 financial year

9  By whom charge payable

10  Regulations

 

 

 

Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993

No. 100 of 1993

 

 

 

An Act to impose a charge on certain meat premises

[Assented to 22 December 1993]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences, or is taken to have commenced, on 1 January 1994.

3  Interpretation

  In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

abattoir has the same meaning as in the Meat Inspection Act 1983.

accredited killing or processing plant means:

 (a) a killing or processing plant that:

 (i) is located in a State or Territory, other than the Australian Capital Territory; and

 (ii) under a law of the State or Territory is registered, licensed or otherwise approved or authorised to operate as a killing or processing plant; or

 (b) a killing or processing plant located in the Australian Capital Territory that is prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this definition; or

 (c) any other premises prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this definition.

accredited operator, in relation to an accredited killing or processing plant that, under a law of a State or Territory (other than the Australian Capital Territory), is registered, licensed or otherwise approved or authorised to operate in the name of a person, meansthat person.

animal food processing plant has the same meaning as in the Meat Inspection Act 1983.

charge criteria has the meaning given by section 5.

charge day means the day in relation to which charge is imposed in respect of a killing or processing plant under section 6.

killing or processing plant means an abattoir, knackery, meat processing plant or animal food processing plant.

knackery has the same meaning as in the Meat Inspection Act 1983.

meat processing plant has the same meaning as in the Meat Inspection Act 1983.

4  Act to bind Crown

  This Act binds the Crown in right of each of the States, of the Australian Capital Territory, of the Northern Territory and of Norfolk Island.

5  Charge criteria

  A killing or processing plant satisfies the charge criteria on a day if, on that day:

 (a) it is an accredited killing or processing plant; and

 (b) it is located in a State or Territory to which the Meat Inspection Act 1983 extends; and

 (c) it is not an establishment within the meaning of the Export Inspection and Meat Charges Collection Act 1985.

6  Imposition of charge

  If:

 (a) on a day after 31 December 1993 in a financial year, a killing or processing plant satisfies the charge criteria; and

 (b) charge is not already imposed in relation to the plant because of the application of this section in relation to an earlier day in the financial year;

charge is imposed in relation to the plant.

7  Amount of charge—financial years after 1993/94 financial year

 (1) If the charge day is 1 July in any financial year that begins on or after 1 July 1994, the amount of the charge is such amount as is prescribed by the regulations in relation to the financial year.

 (2) The amount prescribed must not exceed:

 (a) in the case of an abattoir—$40,000.00; or

 (b) in the case of a meat processing plant—$5,000.00; or

 (c) in the case of a knackery—$1,000.00; or

 (d) in the case of an animal food processing plant—$1,000.00.

 (3) If the charge day is any day, other than 1 July, in any financial year that begins on or after 1 July 1994, the amount of the charge is worked out using the formula:

  where:

Full year charge means the amount prescribed under subsection (1) in relation  to the financial year in which the charge day occurs.

Charging days means the number of days in the period from the beginning of the charge day until the end of the financial year.

8  Amount of charge—1993/94 financial year

 (1) If the charge day is 1 January 1994, the amount of the charge is such amount as is prescribed by the regulations in relation to the financial year ending on 30 June 1994.

 (2) The amount prescribed must not exceed:

 (a) in the case of an abattoir—$20,000.00; or

 (b) in the case of a meat processing plant—$5,000.00; or

 (c) in the case of a knackery—$1,000.00; or

 (d) in the case of an animal food processing plant—$1,000.00.

 (3) If the charge day is any day after 1 January 1994 and before 1 July 1994, the amount of the charge is worked out using the formula:

  where:

Half year charge means the amount prescribed under subsection (1).

Charging days means the number of days in the period from the beginning of the charge day until the end of 30 June 1994.

9  By whom charge payable

  The charge is payable by:

 (a) if there is an accredited operator of the killing or processing plant—that person; or

 (b) in any other case—the owner of the killing or processing plant.

10  Regulations

 (1) The GovernorGeneral may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act, prescribing matters:

 (a) required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or

 (b) necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.

 (2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the regulations may make provision:

 (a) exempting particular kinds of abattoirs, animal food processing plants, knackeries or meat processing plants; or

 (b) prescribing different amounts of charge for the purposes of subsection 7(1) or 8(1), not exceeding the amounts in subsection 7(2) or 8(2) as the case may be, for different kinds of abattoirs, animal food processing plants, knackeries or meat processing plants.

 

Overview

The Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to establish a charge on specific meat premises, specifically abattoirs, knackeries, meat processing plants, and animal food processing plants. The Act was designed to address the need for a financial mechanism to support the implementation and enforcement of meat inspection and processing regulations, as outlined in the Meat Inspection Act 1983. By imposing this charge, the Act aimed to ensure that the necessary resources are available to maintain high standards in the meat industry. The charge applies to accredited killing or processing plants that are not export establishments, with varying maximum amounts prescribed for different types of plants. The Act binds the Crown in right of each state, territory, and Norfolk Island, ensuring uniformity in the application of the charge across the country.

Scope and Application

The Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993 applies to killing or processing plants that are registered, licensed, or otherwise approved or authorised to operate as such, and which are located in a State or Territory of Australia, excluding the Australian Capital Territory. The Act binds the Crown in right of each of the States, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, and Norfolk Island. The primary purpose of the Act is to impose a charge on these accredited killing or processing plants. The charge criteria are met when a plant is an accredited killing or processing plant, is located within a State or Territory to which the Meat Inspection Act 1983 extends, and is not an establishment under the Export Inspection and Meat Charges Collection Act 1985. The charge is payable by the accredited operator of the plant, or if there is none, by the owner of the plant. The amount of the charge is prescribed by regulation, with maximum amounts set for different types of plants and for different financial years. The Act allows for the making of regulations that may exempt particular kinds of plants or prescribe different charge amounts, not exceeding the specified maximums.

Key Provisions

The Domestic Meat Premises Charge Act 1993 (sections 5 to 8) establishes the criteria for imposing a charge on certain meat premises, specifically accredited killing or processing plants located in a state or territory to which the Meat Inspection Act 1983 applies, but not those covered under the Export Inspection and Meat Charges Collection Act 1985. The charge is imposed if the premises meet the criteria and have not been charged earlier in the financial year (section 6). The amount of the charge is determined by regulations, with maximum limits set at $40,000 for abattoirs, $5,000 for meat processing plants, and $1,000 for knackeries and animal food processing plants for financial years starting from 1 July 1994 (section 7). For the 1993/94 financial year, the maximum charge is halved, with the same upper limits (section 8). The Act imposes obligations on accredited operators or owners of the killing or processing plants to pay the charge, depending on whether an accredited operator is present (section 9). The Governor-General is authorised to make regulations for the purposes of the Act, including exempting certain premises and setting different charges for different types of plants, within the specified maximum limits (section 10). Breach of the provisions in the Act could lead to civil consequences, including financial penalties. The exact penalties are prescribed by regulations, but they must not exceed the maximum amounts specified for each type of plant. In addition, failure to comply with the charge obligations may result in legal action to recover the owed charges. No criminal offences are explicitly stated in the provided text, but non-compliance with the financial obligations could potentially lead to legal action to enforce payment.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Commercial Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Charge criteria
Imposition of charge

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.