EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) ACT 1963
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) REGULATIONS (REPEAL)
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF SPECIALIZED AGENCIES) REGULATIONS (REPEAL)
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (DECLARATION) REGULATIONS (REPEAL)
UNITED NATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) REGULATIONS
SPECIALIZED AGENCIES (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) REGULATIONS
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR MIGRATION (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) REGULATIONS
Statutory Rules 1986 No. 65 issued by the authority of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Section 13 of the International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1963 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all 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.
2. In December 1985 the Government decided that Australia would accede to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies in respect of the specialized agencies covered by the Convention, and that it should accept the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, without reservation. It also decided to make regulations under the Act to give full effect to Australia’s obligations under the two agreements.
3. The purpose of these regulations is to give effect to that decision, and to make certain necessary consequential changes to other regulations. Details are set out in Attachment A.
ATTACHMENT “A”
International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations (Repeal)
These regulations will repeal the regulations made in 1959 under the International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1948 (repealed in 1963) to confer privileges and immunities on the United Nations and persons associated with it, and for related purposes, and will enable new regulations to be made, entitled the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations which will continue to give force in Australia to the General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, approved by the General Assembly in 1946.
International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities of Specialized Agencies) Regulations (Repeal)
These regulations will repeal the regulations made in 1962 under the International Organizations (Privileges and Immunities) Act 1948 (repealed in 1963) to confer privileges and immunities on certain of the specialized agencies and persons associated with them, and will enable new regulations to be made, entitled the Specialized Agencies (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations, which will give force in Australia to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies and its Annexes in respect of all the agencies.
International Organizations (Declaration) Regulations (Repeal)
These regulations will repeal the regulations made in 1981 to accord certain international organizations protection against
unauthorized use of their name, initials, abbreviations, emblems and seals. Such protection will be afforded, wherever necessary, by the new regulations referred to below.
United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations
These regulations will consolidate, in one readily identifiable set of regulations, all the provisions relating to the privileges and immunities of the United Nations in Australia. They will continue to give effect to the General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations within Australia. The regulations confer upon the organization, its officers, representatives of its members, and persons performing work on behalf of the organization, the privileges and immunities set out in the Convention. They also make provision for the waiver of those privileges and immunities in appropriate cases.
Specialized Agencies (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations
These regulations will consolidate, in one readily identifiable set of regulations, all the provisions relating to the privileges and immunities of the specialized agencies in Australia. They will continue to give effect to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies and its Annexes within Australia. The regulations confer upon each of the specialized agencies, their officers, representatives of their members, and persons performing work on their behalf, the privileges and immunities set out in the Convention and its Annexes.
International Atomic Energy Agency (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations (Amendment)
These regulations will bring the privileges and immunities conferred upon the International Atomic Energy Agency in Australia into full conformity with the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Atomic Energy Agency, drawn up in 1959, and will enable Australia to accept the Agreement without reservation. In particular, the regulations confer upon officers of the Agency, and persons performing work on its behalf, the privileges and immunities as required by the Agreement, without qualification.
Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations
These regulations will consolidate, in one readily identifiable set of regulations, all the provisions, relating to the privileges and immunities of the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration in Australia. In particular, they will continue to confer juridical personality on the Committee, and to grant the Committee and its officers, except those who are Australian residents, exemption from the requirement to pay tax.