EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Migration Regulations 1994
- This Notice is made under regulation 1.17 and subparagraph 1218(1)(b)(iii) of the Migration Regulations 1994 (‘the Regulations’).
2. Section 1.17 of the Regulations provides that the Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, specify matters required by individual provisions of the Regulations to be specified for the purposes of those provisions.
Section 1218(1)(b)(iii) of the Regulations requires that where an application mentioned in paragraph 1218(1)(b) is made by a citizen of the PRC who is in the PRC, the travel agent organising the applicant’s tour to Australia must be specified by Gazette Notice for the purposes of subparagraph 1218(1)(b)(iii).
3. The purpose of the Instrument is to specify which travel agents in Australia and in China are approved to organise travel to and in Australia of Chinese citizens in tour groups.
4. The instrument operates to facilitate the travel of Chinese tour groups to Australia. The government of the People’s Republic of China has designated Australia as an approved destination under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme. Under the ADS scheme, certain travel agents in China and Australia are authorised to organise tour group travel from China and within Australia. This instrument lists the registered ADS travel agents.
5. This instrument reflects a technical change to the Regulations and does not substantially alter existing arrangements. As such consultation was unnecessary (paragraph 18(2)(a) of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003).
6. The instrument commences on 1 July 2005.