Life Insurance Policy Holders' Protection Levies Act 1991

Legislation au C2004A04293 Not in force Act

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Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991

Act No. 2 of 1992 as amended

[Note: This Act is repealed by Act No. 5 of 1995]

This compilation was prepared on 4 February 2003
taking into account amendments up to Act No. 5 of 1995

The text of any of those amendments not in force
on that date is appended in the Notes section

The operation of amendments that have been incorporated may be
affected by application provisions that are set out in the Notes section

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
AttorneyGeneral’s Department, Canberra

 

 

 

Contents

1 Short title [see Note 1]

2 Commencement [see Note 1]

3 Object of Act

4 Application of Life Insurance Act and Collection Act

5 Regulations may impose levies on life insurance companies

6 Protection levies to be numbered

7 Amount of protection levy

8 Protection levy to be nondiscriminatory

9 Protection levies not to exceed $65,000,000

10 Protection levy not to be imposed on or after windingup day of Fund

11 Regulations

Notes

 

An Act relating to the imposition of levies on life insurance companies for the purpose of protecting certain policy holders

1  Short title [see Note 1]

  This Act may be cited as the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991.

2  Commencement [see Note 1]

  This Act commences, or is taken to have commenced, as the case requires, on the commencement of the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991.

3  Object of Act

  The object of this Act is to raise revenue in order to fund the provision, under the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991, of a measure of financial protection for the policy holders of:

 (a) Occidental Life Insurance Company of Australia Limited; and

 (b) Regal Life Insurance Limited.

4  Application of Life Insurance Act and Collection Act

 (1) Part I of the Life Insurance Act 1945 applies in relation to this Act in a corresponding way to the way in which it applies in relation to that Act.

 (2) Sections 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991 apply in relation to this Act in a corresponding way to the way in which they apply in relation to that Act.

5  Regulations may impose levies on life insurance companies

 (1) The regulations may impose one or more levies on the assets in a leviable fund of a company.

 (2) A protection levy is not imposed on the assets in a leviable fund of a company unless the company is registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 on the day before the day on which the regulation imposing the levy takes effect.

 (3) Regulations imposing different protection levies must take effect on different days.

 (4) A protection levy must not be imposed unless the Commissioner has issued a written certificate stating that the judicial manager or liquidator of an eligible company has notified the Commissioner that, if that protection levy were to be imposed, the judicial manager or liquidator will apply for a grant.

6  Protection levies to be numbered

  Each protection levy must be identified in the regulations by a unique number (for example: “levy No. 1”; “levy No. 2”).

7  Amount of protection levy

  The amount of a protection levy imposed on the assets in a leviable fund of a company is calculated using the formula:

  where:

Applicable rate means the rate (expressed as a decimal fraction) that, under the regulations, is applicable to the levy.

Australian proportion of value of assets means the Australian proportion of the value of the assets in the fund as at:

 (a) if the company was registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 at the end of the last financial year of the company before the day on which the regulation imposing the levy took effect—the end of that financial year; or

 (b) in any other case—the end of the day before the day on which the regulation imposing the levy took effect.

8  Protection levy to be non‑discriminatory

  Regulations made under this Act must not discriminate between leviable funds or between companies.

9  Protection levies not to exceed $65,000,000

  A regulation (in this section called the current regulation) purporting to impose a protection levy has no effect if:

 (a) the total amount of the protection levy purporting to be imposed by the current regulation exceeds $65,000,000; or

 (b) both of the following conditions are satisfied:

 (i) the amount calculated using the following formula does not exceed $65,000,000:

  where:

Earlier protection levies means the total amount of protection levy or protection levies imposed by regulations that took effect earlier than the date on which the current regulation took effect.

Net windingup advances means so much of the total windingup advances (if any) that became payable before the date on which the current regulation took effect as is not attributable to:

 (A) income derived from the investment of money standing to the credit of the Fund; or

 (B) grant repayments;

 (ii) the sum of the following amounts exceeds $65,000,000:

 (A) the total amount of the protection levy purporting to be imposed by the current regulation;

 (B) the amount calculated using the formula in subparagraph (i).

10  Protection levy not to be imposed on or after winding‑up day of Fund

  A protection levy must not be imposed on or after the windingup day for the Fund.

11  Regulations

  The GovernorGeneral may make regulations for the purposes of sections 5 and 7.

Notes to the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991

Note 1

The Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991 as shown in this compilation comprises Act No. 2, 1992 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Acts

 

Act

Number
and year

Date
of Assent

Date of commencement

Application, saving or transitional provisions

 

 

Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991

2, 1992

6 Jan 1992

6 Jan 1992
(see s. 2)

 

Life Insurance (Consequential Amendments and Repeals) Act 1995

5, 1995

23 Feb 1995

1 July 1995
(see s. 2 and Gazette 1995,
No. GN24)

 

 

Overview

The Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991 was enacted to address the financial protection needs of policyholders of Occidental Life Insurance Company of Australia Limited and Regal Life Insurance Limited. This Act was passed by the Parliament of Australia with the objective of raising revenue through levies on life insurance companies to fund a measure of financial protection for specified policyholders. The Act was designed to work in conjunction with the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991, ensuring that the levies imposed are applied correctly and efficiently to achieve the intended protective outcomes. The Act also ensures that any levies imposed are non-discriminatory and do not exceed a specified cap, thereby maintaining fairness and fiscal responsibility. The Governor-General has the authority to make regulations for implementing the provisions of this Act, thereby providing a framework for the effective administration and enforcement of the required levies.

Scope and Application

The Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991 is an Act that was enacted to raise revenue for the purpose of providing financial protection for policy holders of Occidental Life Insurance Company of Australia Limited and Regal Life Insurance Limited. This Act applies to life insurance companies registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 and the assets in their leviable funds. The Act was repealed by the Life Insurance (Consequential Amendments and Repeals) Act 1995, which came into effect on 1 July 1995. The Act allows the Governor-General to make regulations imposing levies on life insurance companies, with certain conditions and limitations. For instance, the total amount of the protection levy must not exceed $65,000,000, and a protection levy must not be imposed on or after the winding-up day for the Fund. The Act applies to life insurance companies registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 and the assets in their leviable funds. The Act also applies to the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991, which provides for the collection and administration of the levies imposed under this Act. The Act applies to the Commonwealth of Australia and its territories and to any external territories of the Commonwealth as declared by the Governor-General. The Act does not apply to any company that is not registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 or to any assets that are not in a leviable fund of a registered company. The Act may be extended or restricted by subordinate instruments, such as regulations made under section 11 of the Act.

Key Provisions

The Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Act 1991 (sections 3-11) establishes the framework for imposing levies on life insurance companies to fund financial protection measures for policyholders of Occidental Life Insurance Company of Australia Limited and Regal Life Insurance Limited. These levies are to be collected under the Life Insurance Policy Holders’ Protection Levies Collection Act 1991. The Act stipulates that the levies must be non-discriminatory, numbered uniquely, and calculated based on a specified formula. Importantly, the total amount of these levies cannot exceed $65,000,000 (section 9). Additionally, no levy can be imposed after the winding-up day of the Fund (section 10). Regulations under this Act must be made by the Governor-General and can specify the imposition of one or more levies on the assets in a leviable fund of a company, provided the company is registered under the Life Insurance Act 1945 (section 5). The Act imposes several obligations on the entities it governs. Firstly, it mandates that each protection levy must be uniquely numbered (section 6). Secondly, it requires that the amount of the levy be calculated using a specific formula, taking into account the applicable rate and the Australian proportion of the value of the assets in the fund (section 7). Thirdly, the Act prohibits any discrimination between leviable funds or companies through the regulations (section 8). Furthermore, regulations must ensure that the total amount of protection levies does not exceed $65,000,000, and no levy can be imposed on or after the winding-up day of the Fund (sections 9 and 10). Breaches of the provisions in this Act can lead to significant consequences. Although the Act does not explicitly state penalties, it is likely that any non-compliance with the specified financial limits or regulatory requirements could result in legal actions for breach of trust or mismanagement. Additionally, if a company fails to meet the conditions specified for levy imposition, it may face civil liabilities for not providing the intended financial protection to policyholders. Given the nature of the Act and its focus on financial protection, severe breaches could also potentially lead to criminal charges, especially if there is evidence of fraudulent intent or gross negligence.

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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.