Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F1998B00184 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998

Statutory Rules 1998 No. 199 as amended

made under the

Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 1998

This compilation was prepared on 2 June 2003
taking into account amendments up to SR 1999 No. 30

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

Contents

 1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1] 

 2 Commencement 

 3 Definitions 

 4 Instruments made and things done by Commissioner before APRA commencement under certain Regulations             

 5 Instruments made and things done by Commissioner before APRA commencement under certain other Regulations             

 6 Transitional arrangement — preserved OSS Act provisions 

Notes  

 

 

 

 

1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1]

  These regulations are the Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998.

2 Commencement

  These regulations commence on 1 July 1998.

3 Definitions

  In these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears:

APRA means the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.

APRA commencement means the commencement of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998.

ASIC means the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Commissioner means the Insurance and Superannuation Commissioner.

4 Instruments made and things done by Commissioner before APRA commencement under certain Regulations

 (1) In this regulation:

relevant Regulations means:

 (a) the Insurance Regulations; or

 (b) the Life Insurance Regulations; or

 (c) the Retirement Savings Accounts Regulations; or

 (d) the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations.

 (2) An instrument made by the Commissioner under a provision of any of the relevant Regulations that is in force immediately before the APRA commencement continues to have effect after that commencement as if that instrument were made by:

 (a) APRA, to the extent that the instrument could, on the APRA commencement, be made by APRA under the relevant Regulations under which the instrument is made; and

 (b) ASIC, to the extent that the instrument could, on the APRA commencement, be made by ASIC under the relevant Regulations under which the instrument is made.

 (3) If an instrument was, when made, to have effect only for a limited period, the instrument has effect only for so much of the period as has not expired before the APRA commencement.

 (4) Anything done before the APRA commencement in relation to the Commissioner (for example, lodging an application with the Commissioner) under a provision of any of the relevant Regulations has effect after that commencement as if the thing had been done in relation to:

 (a) APRA, to the extent to which APRA has powers and functions under the provision after the APRA commencement; and

 (b) ASIC, to the extent to which ASIC has powers and functions under the provision after the APRA commencement.

5 Instruments made and things done by Commissioner before APRA commencement under certain other Regulations

 (1) In this regulation:

relevant Regulations means:

 (a) the Insurance (Agents and Brokers) Regulations; or

 (b) the Insurance Contracts Regulations; or

 (c) the Superannuation (Resolution of Complaints) Regulations.

 (2) An instrument made by the Commissioner under a provision of any of the relevant Regulations that is in force immediately before the APRA commencement continues to have effect after that commencement as if the instrument were made on the commencement by ASIC under the relevant Regulations.

 (3) If an instrument was, when made, to have effect only for a limited period, it has effect only for so much of the period as has not expired before the APRA commencement.

 (4) Anything done before the APRA commencement in relation to the Commissioner (for example, lodging an application with the Commissioner) under a provision of any of the relevant Regulations has effect after that commencement as if the thing had been done in relation to ASIC.

6 Transitional arrangement­ — preserved OSS Act provisions

 (1) In this regulation:

APRA staff member has the meaning given by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998.

OSS Act means the Occupational Superannuation Standards Act 1987 as in force on 30 June 1994.

preserved OSS Act provisions means the following provisions of the OSS Act, that, despite amendment or repeal by the Occupational Superannuation Standards Amendment Act 1993 (the Amendment Act), have continued to apply under subsection 16 (1) of the Amendment Act:

 (a) sections 4, 5, 6 and 6A;

 (b) Part II;

 (c) sections 10 to 15CA inclusive;

 (d) Part IIIAA;

 (e) the remaining provisions of the OSS Act in so far as they relate to any or all of the provisions mentioned in the preceding paragraphs of this definition.

superannuation standards officer has the meaning given by the OSS Act.

Note   The Occupational Superannuation Standards Act 1987 is now known as the Superannuation (Excluded Funds) Taxation Act 1987.

 (2) A thing that, under a preserved OSS Act provision, must, or may, be done by the Commissioner, is validly done if done by APRA.

 (3) An action that, under a preserved OSS Act provision, must, or may, be taken in relation to the Commissioner, is validly taken if taken in relation to APRA.

 (4) An obligation imposed on the Commissioner under a preserved OSS Act provision, is imposed on APRA, and may be carried out by an APRA staff member.

 (5) An immunity or privilege of the Commissioner, or of a superannuation standards officer, under a preserved OSS Act provision, is an immunity or privilege of APRA and an APRA staff member.

 

Notes to the Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998

Note 1

The Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998 (in force under the Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 1998) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 1998 No. 199 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Statutory Rules

Year and
number

Date of notification
in Gazette

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

1998 No. 199

30 June 1998

1 July 1998

 

1999 No. 30

2 Mar 1999

2 Mar 1999

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

R. 6 .................

ad. 1999 No. 30

 

 

Overview

The Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998 were enacted to facilitate a smooth transition in the regulatory framework of Australia's financial sector as the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) commenced operations. These regulations were made under the Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 1998 by the Parliament of Australia and are designed to address the transitional challenges arising from the establishment of APRA. The primary policy objective of these regulations is to ensure continuity and stability in the financial sector by providing for the seamless transfer of regulatory responsibilities from the Insurance and Superannuation Commissioner and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to APRA. This includes preserving the validity of instruments and actions taken before the commencement of APRA, ensuring that ongoing obligations and immunities are appropriately reassigned, and maintaining the application of certain provisions of the Occupational Superannuation Standards Act 1987.

Scope and Application

The Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998 applies to the transitional arrangements following the establishment of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under the Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 1998. These regulations cover instruments made and actions taken by the Insurance and Superannuation Commissioner before the commencement of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, ensuring their continued validity post-commencement. Specifically, they provide that instruments and actions under certain regulations concerning insurance and superannuation continue to have effect as if made or done by APRA and ASIC, to the extent of their respective powers and functions. The regulations also preserve certain provisions of the Occupational Superannuation Standards Act 1987, transferring obligations and privileges from the Commissioner to APRA. The geographic reach of these regulations is national, applying throughout Australia. There are no explicit exclusions or thresholds mentioned in the text, though the application of the regulations is contingent on the instruments and actions being within the specified scope of relevant regulations. The regulations may be extended or restricted through subordinate instruments, as indicated in the Table of Statutory Rules and the Table of Amendments.

Key Provisions

The Financial Sector Reform (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1998 (the Regulations) establish the legal framework for the transition of certain regulatory functions from the Insurance and Superannuation Commissioner to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) upon the commencement of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). Section 4 of the Regulations outlines the instruments made by the Commissioner under specific regulations, such as the Insurance Regulations, Life Insurance Regulations, Retirement Savings Accounts Regulations, and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations, which continue to have effect after the APRA commencement. Section 5 focuses on instruments made under other specific regulations, like the Insurance (Agents and Brokers) Regulations, Insurance Contracts Regulations, and Superannuation (Resolution of Complaints) Regulations, which continue to have effect as if made by ASIC. Section 6 details the transitional arrangement for preserved provisions of the Occupational Superannuation Standards Act 1987 (OSS Act), which now apply under the Superannuation (Excluded Funds) Taxation Act 1987, and specifies that actions, obligations, and immunities under these preserved provisions now apply to APRA and its staff members. The Regulations impose obligations on the Commissioner, APRA, and ASIC to ensure the smooth transition of regulatory functions. Under Section 4, any instrument made by the Commissioner under the relevant regulations before the APRA commencement continues to have effect, attributed to both APRA and ASIC to the extent of their respective powers and functions post-commencement. Similarly, actions taken or obligations imposed under the preserved OSS Act provisions are now the responsibility of APRA, with APRA staff members authorised to carry out these duties. These transitional provisions are designed to maintain regulatory continuity and minimise disruption in the financial sector. For breaches of the provisions outlined in the Regulations, the Act provides for potential civil and criminal consequences. While specific penalties are not detailed within the Regulations, breaches of related Acts or regulations, such as the APRA Act or the Insurance Act 1973, may incur penalties as stipulated in those respective Acts. For instance, the APRA Act includes provisions for fines and imprisonment for serious breaches of regulatory requirements. The exact penalties depend on the nature and severity of the breach, with maximum penalties varying according to the specific legislative provisions contravened.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Financial Law
Regulatory Law
Instrument
Regulation
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Definitions & Interpretation
Regulatory Standards
Transitional Provisions

Interactions

Authorises

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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.