Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015

Administered by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

Legislation au C2015A00167 Not in force Act

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Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015

 

No. 167, 2015

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to export quotas, and for other purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Tariff rate quota amendments

Export Control Act 1982

Part 2—Consequential amendments

Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997

Dairy Produce Act 1986

Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015

Part 3—Repeals

Australian Meat and Livestock (Quotas) Act 1990

Part 4—Transitional rules

 

 

 

Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015

No. 167, 2015

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to export quotas, and for other purposes

[Assented to 11 December 2015]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

11 December 2015

2.  Schedule 1, Part 1

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

12 December 2015

3.  Schedule 1, item 6

1 January 2017.

1 January 2017

4.  Schedule 1, item 7

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

12 December 2015

5.  Schedule 1, items 8 and 9

1 January 2017.

1 January 2017

6.  Schedule 1, items 10 and 11

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

12 December 2015

7.  Schedule 1, Part 3

1 January 2017.

1 January 2017

8.  Schedule 1, Part 4

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

12 December 2015

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Tariff rate quota amendments

Export Control Act 1982

1  Section 3 (definition of order)

After “under”, insert “this Act or”.

2  After section 23

Insert:

23A  Tariff rate quota systems

 (1) The Secretary may make orders providing for, or in relation to, the establishment and administration of a system, or systems, of tariff rate quotas for the export of goods.

Note: The orders may make different provision for, or in relation to, different classes of goods (see subsection 33(3A) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901).

 (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the orders may make provision for, or in relation to, the following:

 (a) determining the amount of tariff rate quota for the export of goods for a period;

 (b) methods for determining tariff rate quota entitlements for the export of goods;

 (c) establishing and maintaining a register of tariff rate quota entitlements;

 (d) surrender, transfer, variation, and cancellation of tariff rate quota entitlements;

 (e) tariff rate quota certificates, including cancellation of certificates;

 (f) imposing conditions, including variation and cancellation of conditions;

 (g) auditing and reporting requirements;

 (h) the use of computer programs for making decisions under a system of tariff rate quotas;

 (i) review of decisions.

 (3) The Secretary may give written directions to be complied with by a particular person or body in relation to a matter covered by an order made under this section.

 (4) If a direction given under this section is inconsistent with an order made under this section, the direction prevails and the order, to the extent of the inconsistency, does not have any effect.

 (5) An order made, or direction given, under this section that is inconsistent with the regulations or an order made by the Minister has no effect to the extent of the inconsistency, but the order or direction is taken to be consistent with the regulations and any orders made by the Minister to the extent that the order or direction is capable of operating concurrently with those instruments.

 (6) A direction given under subsection (3) is not a legislative instrument.

3  Section 25 (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

25  Regulations and orders

4  After paragraph 25(5)(ab)

Insert:

 (aba) any matter contained in any instrument or writing that:

 (i) sets out, or provides a method for calculating, the tariff rate quota for the importation of goods into a country; and

 (ii) is made by the authority or body in that country responsible for regulating the importation of goods into that country;

  as in force at a particular time or as in force from time to time; or

5  At the end of section 25

Add:

Note: Subsections (3) to (9) apply to orders made under the regulations and orders made under section 23A (see the definition of order in section 3).

Part 2—Consequential amendments

Australian Meat and Live‑stock Industry Act 1997

6  Section 3 (definition of quota)

Repeal the definition.

7  Subparagraph 17(3)(c)(i)

Omit “otherwise than in accordance with a quota”.

8  Division 3 of Part 2

Repeal the Division.

Dairy Produce Act 1986

9  Part V

Repeal the Part.

Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015

10  Section 6 (subparagraphs (a)(ii), (b)(ii), and (c)(ii) of the definition of export control instrument)

Repeal the subparagraphs, substitute:

 (ii) orders made under such regulations or that Act; or

11  Subparagraphs 12(5)(a)(ii), (b)(ii), and (c)(ii)

Repeal the subparagraphs, substitute:

 (ii) orders made under such regulations or that Act;

Part 3—Repeals

Australian Meat and Live‑stock (Quotas) Act 1990

12  The whole of the Act

Repeal the Act.

Part 4—Transitional rules

13  Transitional rules

(1) The Minister may, by legislative instrument (and subject to subitem (2)), make rules prescribing matters of a transitional nature (including prescribing any saving or application provisions) relating to the amendments or repeals made by items 6 to 9 and 12 of this Schedule.

(2) To avoid doubt, the rules may not do the following:

 (a) create an offence or civil penalty provision;

 (b) provide:

 (i) powers of arrest or detention; or

 (ii) powers relating to entry, search or seizure;

 (c) impose a tax;

 (d) set an amount to be appropriated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund under an appropriation in this Act;

 (e) directly amend the text of this Act.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 12 November 2015

Senate on 1 December 2015]

 

(189/15)

 

Overview

The Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to amend the law relating to export quotas and to address certain issues in existing legislation. The Act received Royal Assent on 11 December 2015 and commenced on that date, with various provisions coming into effect on different dates up to January 2017. The primary objective of this legislation is to modernise and streamline the management of export quotas by amending the Export Control Act 1982 and making consequential amendments to other Acts, including the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997, the Dairy Produce Act 1986, and the Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015. The Act also repeals the Australian Meat and Livestock (Quotas) Act 1990 and includes transitional provisions to facilitate the changes.

Scope and Application

The Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015 amends the existing Export Control Act 1982 to revise the framework for managing export quotas, particularly in relation to tariff rate quotas. This Act applies to all entities and persons involved in the export of goods that fall under the purview of the Export Control Act 1982. It encompasses various industries, including meat and livestock, dairy products, and other goods subject to export control measures. The Act's geographic reach extends across the Commonwealth of Australia, affecting both interstate and international trade activities. The Act allows for the establishment and administration of tariff rate quotas for the export of goods, including provisions for determining quota amounts, methods for calculating entitlements, and the issuance and management of quota certificates. Certain exclusions apply, particularly in the context of directions issued under the Act, which do not have legislative effect if inconsistent with existing regulations or ministerial orders. The Act also includes transitional provisions and repeals previous legislation, such as the Australian Meat and Livestock (Quotas) Act 1990, to streamline and modernise the regulatory framework. The application and specifics of the Act may be further extended or restricted through subordinate instruments, such as regulations and legislative instruments issued by the Minister.

Key Provisions

The Export Control Amendment (Quotas) Act 2015 amends the Export Control Act 1982 by introducing new provisions for the establishment and administration of tariff rate quotas for the export of goods (Section 23A). This allows the Secretary to create orders that govern various aspects of the quota systems, including the determination of the amount of tariff rate quota, methods for determining entitlements, and the establishment of registers. The Secretary can also issue directions to specific entities to comply with these orders, which may take precedence if they conflict with the orders themselves (Section 23A(3)-(6)). Additionally, the Act modifies the definition of "order" to include these new tariff rate quota orders (Section 3). Entities and individuals governed by the Export Control Act 1982 must comply with any orders or directions issued by the Secretary under Section 23A. These provisions mandate adherence to the methods and procedures set forth for determining tariff rate quotas, maintaining registers, and handling entitlements. Additionally, any directions given by the Secretary must be followed by the specified entities or individuals, and they may be subject to review and audit requirements as stipulated in the orders. The Act does not explicitly outline specific offences, penalties, or consequences for non-compliance with the new provisions on tariff rate quotas. However, the general regulatory framework under which these provisions operate could potentially include administrative penalties for non-compliance. The Act does stipulate that any transitional rules made under the authority of the Minister cannot include provisions that create offences or civil penalty provisions, nor can they provide powers of arrest or detention, impose taxes, or set appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (Schedule 1, Part 4, item 13). The primary focus appears to be on the administrative and procedural compliance rather than punitive measures for breaches.

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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.