EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Statutory Rules No 257 of 1987
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Land Transport and Infrastructure Support
Lighthouses Act 1911 - Lighthouses and Light Dues
Regulations (Amendment)
Section 20 of the Lighthouses Act 1911 (‘the Act’) provides that the Governor-General may make Regulations prescribing matters which by the Act are permitted to be prescribed.
Subsection 13(1) of the Act provides that light dues, in accordance with the prescribed rates or scales, shall be levied and shall be payable with respect to the voyages made by ships or by way of periodical payment.
Subsection 13(2) of the Act provides that the Regulations may prescribe the rates or scales of light dues to be payable in respect of ships, and may make provision for the exemption of any ship or ships included in a class of ships from payment of light dues.
The Lighthouses and Light Dues Regulations (‘the Regulations’) are made pursuant to the Act.
The revenue that sailing ships contribute to the light dues account is minimal due to the small number of such ships, and does not cover the administrative expenses associated with the collection of light dues in respect of such ships.
Subregulation 20(1) of the Regulations specifies ships exempt from the payment of light dues.
The amendment of subregulation 20(1) of the Regulations inserts a new paragraph (k) exempting sailing ships under 500 net tonnage from payment of light dues.
A further editorial amendment of regulation 20 omits subregulations (2), (3) and (4) and inserts a new subregulation (2) defining ‘tonnage length’ in simpler terms for the purposes of subregulation 20(1).