Honeybee Research and Development Council Regulations (Repeal)

Overview

The Honeybee Research and Development Council Regulations (Repeal) 1995 No. 167 were enacted by the Australian government to address inefficiencies and cost-effectiveness issues in the administration of research and development activities for the honey industry. The Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 authorised the establishment of various research councils, including the Honeybee Research and Development Council, which operated independently with its own Board and accountability mechanisms. Concerns raised by the Task Force of the Budget Review of Rural Research and Development about the adequacy of council budgets to support optimal research management led to recommendations for exploring alternative administrative arrangements that would maintain industry involvement and responsibility. The repeal of the Honeybee Research and Development Council Regulations and the transfer of its functions to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, with support from the Federal Council of Australian Apiarists' Associations, aimed to streamline the administrative structure, achieve significant cost savings, and ensure that industry levy funds were optimally used for research and development activities.

Scope and Application

The Honeybee Research and Development Council Regulations (Repeal) 1995 No. 167 repeals the regulations establishing the Honeybee Research and Development Council, which was formed to conduct research and development activities on behalf of the honey industry. These regulations, made under the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989, apply to the Honeybee Research and Development Council, which operated independently with its own Board and separate reporting and accountability requirements. The repeal of these regulations follows a recommendation from the Task Force of the Budget Review of Rural Research and Development, which questioned the sufficiency of the Council's budgets for optimal research management and administrative arrangements. The repeal is effective from 1 July 1995, and the research and development functions of the honey industry have been transferred to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, with the support of the Federal Council of Australian Apiarists' Associations. This transition aims to streamline the administrative structure, maintain industry responsibility and involvement, and achieve significant cost savings, thereby maximising industry levy funds for research and development activities.

Key Provisions

The Honeybee Research and Development Council Regulations (Repeal) 1995 No. 167 primarily serve to repeal existing regulations that established the Honeybee Research and Development Council under the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 (the Act). Specifically, Regulation 2 repeals the regulations that established the Council, and Regulation 1 sets the commencement date of these regulations as 1 July 1995 (regs 1 and 2). This repeal reflects the transition of the Council's research and development functions to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, as recommended by the Task Force of the Budget Review of Rural Research and Development. The obligations and requirements imposed by the Act on the Honeybee Research and Development Council, which are now repealed, included conducting research and development activities on behalf of the honey industry. The Council was required to operate autonomously, with its own Board, and had separate reporting and accountability requirements as stipulated in the Act (s 149). Additionally, the Council had to maintain optimal research management and administrative arrangements, a matter that was questioned by the Task Force. The Act also mandated that the Council maintain a certain level of industry involvement and responsibility, which has been carried forward in the new arrangements with the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. There are no explicit offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences outlined in the regulations themselves for the repeal of the Honeybee Research and Development Council. However, any failure to comply with the Act's requirements prior to the repeal, such as inadequate research management and administrative arrangements, could have resulted in consequences under the Act. The new arrangements under the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation aim to address these issues while ensuring the continuation of industry responsibility and involvement. The transition to the new administrative arrangements under the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation is supported by the Federal Council of Australian Apiarists' Associations, which has negotiated for the establishment of a honey advisory committee. This new committee is intended to have a composition, functions, and responsibilities similar to the Honeybee Research and Development Council, thereby ensuring continuity in the industry's research and development program. The new structure is expected to achieve significant cost savings, effectively maximising industry levy funds available for research and development activities.