EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1989 NO 256
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Resources
EXPORT INSPECTION (SERVICE CHARGE) ACT 1985
EXPORT INSPECTION (SERVICE CHARGE) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Section 9 of the Export Inspection (Service Charge) Act 1985 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of section 7 of the Act.
Under section 7 of the Act, the rate of charge in respect of the provision of an export inspection service at an establishment is such rate, calculated by reference to time, as is applicable under the regulations to that establishment or to the class of establishments in which the establishment is included.
The Export Inspection (Service Charge) Regulations (Amendment) (the Amendment) amends the Export Inspection (Service Charge) Regulations by setting several new rates, as set out below against the relevant commodities, for export inspection services.
Calculation of the new charges has taken into account a number of factors. For the first time the costs of the compliance and malpractice investigation activities of the Australian
Quarantine and Inspection Service have been included into the inspection services cost base. There has been an increase by approximately 100% in the workers compensation cost component with the introduction of Comcare. There has been an increase in the superannuation component of the cost base and an alteration to the method of allocation of Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service head office costs across commodities to more accurately reflect current distribution of costs.
Dairy produce - increased from $49 to $66 per hour or part thereof per each attendance by an authorized officer. This increase follows a more accurate assessment of chargeable hours for inspection services following the first full year of operation of the Approved Quality Assurance system for dairy produce.
Eggs - increased from $49 to $66 per hour or part thereof for each attendance by an authorized officer. The inspection staff for this commodity are the same as those who undertake dairy inspection and the charge is therefore aligned to the charge for dairy produce. The inspection time for eggs represents less than 10% of the time of one inspector per year.
Fish - increased from $50 to $54 for each attendance by an authorized officer for a continuous period of half an hour; and increased from $50 to $54 per period of half an hour or part of that period for each attendance by an authorized officer occurring during a prescribed monthly aggregate.
The Amendment removes from the Export Inspection (Service Charge) Regulations any references to edible game offal, game meat and game meat products with no further revenue being raised under the Act in respect of the provision of inspection services for those items. Cost recovery for inspection services in respect of edible game offal, game meat and game meat products is, as from 1 October 1989, by way of the imposition of fees under the Export Control Act 1982.
The Amendment comes into operation on 1 October 1989.