EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1986 No. 186
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industry
MEAT CHICKEN LEVY ACT 1969
MEAT CHICKEN LEVY REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
The Meat Chicken Levy Act 1969 (the Act) provides for the Governor-General to make regulations for the purpose of prescribing an operative rate of levy in respect of each meat chicken hatched.
The Act as amended by the Meat Chicken Levy Amendment Act 1986 No 24, Assented to on 13 May 1986 provides in paragraph 7(1)(b) for a maximum rate of levy of one cent in respect of each chicken as prescribed.
The current operative rate of levy, one tenth of a cent in respect of each chicken, has applied since 1969.
The Chicken Meat Research Council has recommended an increase in the operative rate of levy from 0.1 cent to 0.125 cent per meat chicken hatched with effect from 1 September 1986, and the Australian Chicken Meat Federation has supported the recommendation.
The increase is necessary to maintain the research program in the face of rising costs, and with the recent rate of depletion of reserves an increase in levy income is required to take effect as soon as possible. The proposed rate of increase would enable an increase in research expenditure from the equivalent of an estimated 0.056% to 0.07% of Gross Value of Production (GVP) which is consistent with the Government objective of encouraging rural industries to progressively increase their respective contributions for research up to 0.5% of GVP within the next 5 years.