EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1985 No. 242
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industry
HONEY EXPORT CHARGE (RATE OF CHARGE) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Section 9 of the Honey Export Charge Act 1973 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of prescribing a rate of charge for the purposes of section 7 of the Act.
The Act imposes a charge on honey that is exported from Australia.
Paragraph 5(1)(a) of the Honey Research Act 1980 provides that amounts equal to the amounts received by the Commonwealth as export charge by virtue of paragraph 7(1)(b) of the Honey Export Charge Act 1973 are to be appropriated to the Honey Research Trust Account.
Sub-section 7(3) of the Honey Export Charge Act provides that regulations may vary the rate of charge from time to time up to a maximum of 0.5 cent per kilogram of honey and that before making, amending or repealing such regulations the Governor-General shall take into consideration any recommendation made to the Minister by the Honey Research Committee or by the producers’ organisation.
Both the Honey Research Committee and the Federal Council of Australian Apiarists’ Associations, the producers’ organisation, have recommended to the Minister an increase in the operative rate of levy for research purposes from 0.25 cent to 0.35 cent per kilogram of honey.