EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1989 NO 254
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Resources
MEAT EXPORT CHARGE ACT 1984
MEAT EXPORT CHARGE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Section 8 of the Meat Export Charge Act 1984 (the Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations not inconsistent with the Act prescribing matters necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
Under paragraph 5(1)(a) of the Act a charge is imposed on the making of applications for the grant of export permits authorizing the export of meat or meat products from Australia.
Under paragraph 5(1)(b) of the Act a charge is imposed on the making of applications for the issue of certificates under section 23 of the Export Control Act 1982. Section 23 provides that where the Secretary is satisfied that the government, or an authority of the government, of a country other than Australia requires a certification as to any matter relating to goods before the import of goods of that kind from Australia to that country will be permitted, the Secretary may, if the Secretary is satisfied as to that matter, issue such a cerificate to a person who wishes to export goods of that kind to that country.
Subsection 6(1) of the Act establishes the rate of charge on the making of an application of the kind referred to in paragraphs 5(1)(a) or (b) of the Act to be an amount prescribed but not exceeding 4.8 cents per kilogram of meat to which the application relates.
The Meat Export Charge Regulations (Amendment) (the Amendment) will amend the Meat Export Charge Regulations to remove the charge of 2.8 cents per kilogram of meat except for that product which is produced (ie date stamped for the purposes of Part 22 of the Export Control Orders as amended made under the Export Control Act 1982) before 1 October 1989. The reason for the removal of the charge is that cost recovery for the provision of ancillary meat inspection services under the Export Control Act 1982 will be, from 1 October 1989, by way fees imposed by orders made under the Export Control Act 1982.
The Amendment also imposes a charge, in respect of export permit and health certificate applications made after 1 October 1989, a charge of 0.5 cents per kilogram of meat to which the applications relate. This will mean that the total charge for meat produced before 1 October 1989 will be 3.3 cents per kilogram. The revenue raised by way of this charge will be used to fund the establishment of a system of electronic transfer of data (“EXDOC”) required for the issue of the export permits and health certificates applicable to meat exports. It is anticipated that on approximately 31 May 1990, by which date approximately $2 million necessary for the establishment of
EXDOC will have been collected, the 0.5 cents per kilogram charge applicable to meat produced on or after 1 October 1989 will be repealed and the charge for meat produced before 1 October 1989 will be reduced by 0.5 cents to 2.8 cents per kilogram.
The Amendment commences on 1 October 1989.