Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018

Administered by Attorney-General's Department

Legislation au F2018L00219 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Issued by the Attorney‑General in compliance with
section 15G of the Legislation Act 2003

 

INTRODUCTION

This certificate was made under paragraph 51(1)(c) of the Legislation Act 2003 and is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act.

A certificate issued by the Attorney-General under subsection 51(1) of the Legislation Act is not subject to disallowance (Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015, section 10, item 19). As such, a statement of compatibility with human rights is not required (Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011, section 9).

OUTLINE

The purpose of the sunsetting provisions of the Legislation Act is to ensure that legislative instruments are kept up to date and only remain in force for so long as they are needed.

Paragraph 51(1)(c) of the Legislation Act enables the Attorney-General to issue a certificate to defer the sunsetting day of an instrument for a period of either six or 12 months. The instrument will then be repealed on the day specified in the certificate instead of the scheduled sunsetting day.

This allows instruments to continue to be in force for a further but limited period of time when they would otherwise sunset. This removes the administrative burden of remaking instruments which would have a limited duration prior to their repeal and potential replacement, or where circumstances prevent the making of replacement instruments prior to the sunsetting day.

PROCESS BEFORE CERTIFICATE WAS MADE

Regulatory impact analysis

Certificates of deferral of sunsetting are machinery of government instruments, and are therefore not subject to the regulatory impact assessment requirements set out by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR). The OBPR reference for this standing exemption is ID19633.

Consultation before making

Before this certificate was issued, the Attorney‑General considered the general obligation to consult imposed by section 17 of the Legislation Act. Consultation involved the Minister for the Environment and Energy advising the Attorney‑General of the reasons in support of issuing the certificate. The certificate is consistent with the policy intent of the sunsetting arrangements and does not significantly alter existing arrangements. Accordingly, further consultation was unnecessary.

Statutory preconditions relevant to this certificate

If the Attorney-General is satisfied that the statutory conditions in section 51 of the Legislation Act are met, an instrument’s sunsetting day can be deferred for either six or 12 months by means of a certificate made under that section. In terms of process, the Legislation Act requires:

a)       the responsible rule maker to apply to the Attorney-General in writing

b)       the Attorney-General to be satisfied that:

i)            the instrument would (apart from the operation of the sunsetting provisions) be likely to cease to be in force within 12 months after its sunsetting day, or

ii)            the proposed replacement instrument will not be able to be completed before the sunsetting day for reasons that the rule maker could not have foreseen and avoided, or

iii)            the dissolution or expiration of the House of Representatives or the prorogation of the Parliament renders it inappropriate to make a replacement instrument before a new government is formed, and

c)       the Attorney-General to issue a certificate that includes a statement of reasons for the issue of the certificate.

The statement of reasons included in the certificate sets out the basis for the Attorney-General’s satisfied that the criterion in subparagraph 51(1)(b)(i) of the Legislation Act is satisfied.

The certificate issued by the Attorney‑General must be laid before each House of the Parliament no later than six sitting days after it is made. It is a legislative instrument and must be registered on the Federal Register of Legislation, but is not subject to disallowance (Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015, section 10, item 19).

More information

Further details on the provisions of the certificate are provided in Attachment A.

The instrument which is the subject of this certificate, and which will now sunset at a later day as specified in this certificate, is available on the Federal Register of Legislationhttp://www.comlaw.gov.au.

Further information about the operation of this instrument may also be requested from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.


ATTACHMENT A

NOTES ON THE CERTIFICATE           

Section 1 Name

This section provides that the certificate is named the Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018. The certificate may be cited by that name.

Section 2  Commencement

This section provides for the certificate to commence on the day after it is registered.

Section 3 Authority

This section provides that the certificate is made under paragraph 51(1)(c) of the Legislation Act 2003. 

Section 4 Definitions

This section defines, for the purposes of this certificate, ‘Act’ to mean the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, ‘Authority’ to mean the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, ‘Legislation Act’ to mean the Legislation Act 2003 and ‘Regulations’ to mean the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983.

Section 5  Statement of reasons for issue of certificate

This section provides the statement of reasons as required by paragraph 51(2)(a) of the Legislation Act.

The statement of reasons explains why the Attorney-General is satisfied that the criterion set out in subparagraph 51(1)(b)(i) of the Legislation Act has been met, namely that the Regulations would (apart from the operation of the sunsetting provisions) be likely to cease to be in force within 12 months after their sunsetting day.

Section 6 Deferral of sunsetting of the Regulations

This section provides that the Regulations, for which the sunsetting day is 1 April 2018, are taken to cease to be in force under section 51 of the Legislation Act on 1 April 2019.

Section 7 Repeal of this instrument

This section provides that the certificate is repealed at the start of 2 April 2019.

 

 

Overview

The Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018 was enacted to address the administrative burden of remaking or replacing regulatory instruments that would otherwise sunset before their intended purpose could be fulfilled. This legislative instrument was introduced under the Legislation Act 2003, which aims to ensure that legislative instruments are kept up to date and remain in force only for as long as necessary. The certificate was issued by the Attorney-General, who was satisfied that the statutory conditions outlined in section 51 of the Legislation Act were met, specifically that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 would likely cease to be in force within 12 months after their scheduled sunsetting date of 1 April 2018. The policy objective of this certificate was to allow the Regulations to remain in effect for an additional period, thus avoiding the need for immediate replacement and reducing administrative burdens. The certificate, which is not subject to disallowance, was laid before each House of the Parliament and registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.

Scope and Application

The Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018 applies to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983, which are made under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. The certificate defers the sunsetting day of these regulations from 1 April 2018 to 1 April 2019. The Attorney-General issued this certificate under section 51(1)(c) of the Legislation Act 2003, which allows for a six or twelve-month deferment of sunsetting provisions when certain statutory conditions are met. This legislative instrument is applicable nationally and aims to ensure that the regulations remain in force for an additional period while their replacement is being finalised. The certificate is not subject to disallowance and must be laid before each House of the Parliament and registered on the Federal Register of Legislation. Any subordinate instruments extending or restricting the application of this certificate would need to comply with the statutory conditions outlined in the Legislation Act.

Key Provisions

The Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations) Certificate 2018 (the Certificate) is a legislative instrument issued under the authority of the Legislation Act 2003, specifically section 51(1)(c), and it defers the sunsetting of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983. The Certificate allows for the sunsetting of these regulations to be delayed by twelve months, meaning they will now cease to be in force on 1 April 2019 instead of 1 April 2018 (Section 6). This deferral is in accordance with the sunsetting provisions of the Legislation Act, which are designed to ensure that legislative instruments remain current and are repealed when they are no longer needed (Section 51). The Attorney-General issued this Certificate after considering the statutory conditions and the reasons provided by the Minister for the Environment and Energy (Section 51(1)(b)(i)). The Certificate imposes certain obligations on the parties involved. The Attorney-General must be satisfied that the statutory conditions set out in Section 51 of the Legislation Act are met before issuing the Certificate. This includes the consideration of whether the Regulations would likely cease to be in force within 12 months of their sunsetting day or if there are unforeseen circumstances preventing the completion of a replacement instrument (Section 51(1)(b)(i)). The Certificate must also include a statement of reasons for its issue, which explains the basis for the Attorney-General's satisfaction (Section 5). Additionally, the Certificate must be laid before each House of the Parliament within six sitting days of its creation and registered on the Federal Register of Legislation (Section 51(3)). There are no specific offences, penalties, or civil or criminal consequences outlined in the Certificate itself. However, the Legislation Act 2003, under which the Certificate was issued, does not subject certificates of this nature to disallowance (Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015, Section 10, Item 19). This means that the Certificate stands as issued unless otherwise specified by the relevant legislative process. The Certificate also notes that, as it does not significantly alter existing legislative arrangements, further consultation beyond the statutory requirement was deemed unnecessary (Section 17).

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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.