Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (Amendment) 1996 No. 17
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1996 No. 17
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy
Export Inspection (Establishment Registration Charges) Act 1985
Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (Amendment)
Section 9 of the Export Inspection (Establishment Registration Charges) Act 1985 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
The Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (the Regulations) prescribe establishment classifications and rates of charge imposed by the Act.
The purpose of the Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (Amendment) is to reduce existing meat establishment charges for the 1995/1996 financial year and add an additional establishment classification and charge.
The establishment registration charges are part of the mix of charges agreed by industry to recover the costs of providing export meat inspection services.
The reduced establishment charges are the result of a recent Meat industry agreement. The reduced charges will be offset by the introduction of documentation charges to fund AQIS's export documentation system. Revised annual charges for Meat establishments are to commence from 1 February 1996, and the charges in the Amendment reflect a proportion of old and new charges to cover the financial year 1995/1996.
A new category of charge, for export casings establishments that exported less than 100 tonnes of meat or meat products in the immediately preceding financial year, is also included in the Amendment. Previously, one higher charge applied for all export casings establishments, so this charge provides financial relief for smaller establishments.
Details of the Regulations are as follows:
Regulation 1 - Commencement
Subregulation 1.1 provides for the Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (Amendment) to commence on 1 February 1996.
Regulation 2 - Amendment
Subregulation 2.1 provides that the Regulations are amended as set out in the Export Inspection and Meat (Establishment Registration Charges) Regulations (Amendment).
Regulation 3 - Interpretation
Subregulation 3.1 omits the definition of "contributing export slaughter establishment". This definition is no longer required as it is now detailed in the newly substituted regulation 12 of the Regulations.
Subregulation 3.2 inserts a definition of a "meat product".
Regulation 4 - Imposition of Charge
Subregulation 4.1 expands the prescribed commodity "meat", to read "meat, including meat products". The prescribed commodity has also been renumbered to list all commodities in numerical order.
Subregulation 4.2 omits paragraph 4(1)(1), as this prescribed commodity has now been renumbered to 4(1)(i). The previous prescribed commodities listed against 4(1)(i) and 4(1) were deleted some time ago.
Regulation 5 - Amount of charge - 1994 and 1995 financial years
Subregulation 5.1 updates subregulation 7(1) to remove the reference to 1 July 1994 in relation to rates of charge for the registration of meat establishments. This reference was relevant at the time it was legislated due to different fee rates between 1993/94 and 1994/95 but is no longer required. The subregulation now simply reads "1 July".
Subregulation 5.2 updates subregulation 7(2) to remove the reference to 1 July 1994 in relation to part year rates of charge. This reference was relevant at the time it was legislated due to different fee rates between 1993/94 and 1994/95 but is no longer required. The subregulation now simply reads "1 July".
Regulation 6 - Amount of charge - financial year commencing on 1 July 1993
Subregulation 6.1 omits regulation 8 of the Regulations. This regulation referred to the amount of charge in the financial year commencing on 1 July 1993 and is no longer applicable.
Regulation 7 - Reduction in charge for eat establishment previously on the anniversary system
Subregulation 7.1 omits regulation 10 of the Regulations. This regulation referred to charging for registration renewals in the period 3 January 1993 to 31 December 1993 and as such is no longer applicable.
Regulation 8 - Payments by export slaughter establishments
Subregulation 8.1 updates the existing regulation 12 of the Regulations into a simpler and more understandable format. The Regulation refers to the payments by export slaughter establishments where they are located on the same premises as a separately registered export boning or processing establishment. The Regulation provides for the export slaughter establishments to contribute registration charges on behalf of the boning and processing establishments.
Regulation 9 - Charge for contributing export slaughter establishment
Subregulation 9.1 inserts a new regulation 12A to provide for the registration charges payable by a contributing export slaughter establishment. This was previously provided for by a 'note' within regulation 12 of the Regulations. The new regulation updates the previous Regulation into a simpler and more understandable format.
Regulation 10 - Apportionment factors for calculation of charge
Subregulations 10.1 to 10.7 update subregulations 13(1) and 13(2) of the Regulations to refer to the correct Items within the new Schedule 2. The new Schedule 2 lists the rates of charge payable for each category of registration.
Regulation 11 - Schedule 2 (Annual Registration Charges for Meat Establishments)
Subregulation 11.1 provides for an amended Schedule 2. The amended Schedule 2 reflects reductions to annual registration charges for meat establishments that will commence on 1 February 1996.
The amended Schedule 2 also inserts a new category for exports casings establishments that export less than 100 tonnes of meat or meat products in the a financial year. The new charge is $2,466.