Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995

Administered by Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Legislation au F1996B02732 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995

Statutory Rules 1995 No. 264 as amended

made under the

Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995

This compilation was prepared on 3 November 2006
taking into account amendments up to SLI 2006 No. 285

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

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

Contents

 1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1]

 2 Commencement 

 3 Interpretation 

 4 Levy for the quarters ending 31 March 2000 and 30 June 2000             

 5 Levy after 30 June 2000 

 6 Who is a contributor to an organization’s fund? 

Notes   

 

 

 

1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1]

  These Regulations are the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995.

2 Commencement

  These Regulations commence on 1 October 1995.

3 Interpretation

  In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears:

new fund means an organization’s fund that:

 (a) commences business in a quarter commencing on 1 July or 1 October; and

 (b) has carried on business for a period of less than 12 months.

organization’s fund means the health benefits fund by means of which a registered organization conducts its health insurance business.

quarter means a quarter, or a part of a quarter, in which a registered organization conducts health insurance business.

the Act means the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995.

transferring fund means an organization’s fund the business of which is transferred to another organization’s fund.

4 Levy for the quarters ending 31 March 2000 and 30 June 2000

 (1) For the purposes of subsection 6 (1) of the Act, the rate of levy payable by a registered organization for the quarters ending 31 March 2000 and 30 June 2000 is set out in this regulation.

 (2) The rate of levy in respect of a contributor who contributes to an organization’s fund in respect of 1 person is the rate in cents, for each quarter in the period, calculated using the formula:

where:

family contributors is the aggregate number of contributors who contribute to any organization’s fund in respect of more than 1 person.

single contributors is the aggregate number of contributors who contribute to any organization’s fund in respect of 1 person.

 (3) The rate of levy in respect of a contributor who contributes to an organization’s fund in respect of more than 1 person is the rate in cents, for each quarter in the period, calculated using the formula:

where family contributors and single contributors have the same meaning as in subregulation (2).

 (4) The levy to which subregulation (2) or (3) applies is payable on 17 March 2000.

Note   Regulation 6 identifies who is a contributor to an organization’s fund for the purposes of this regulation. Membership data held by the Private Health Insurance Administration Council will be used to calculate the number of those contributors.

5 Levy after 30 June 2000

 (1) For the purposes of subsection 6 (1) of the Act, the rate of levy payable by a registered organization for a quarter occurring after 30 June 2000 is set out in this regulation.

 (2) The rate of levy in respect of a contributor who contributes to an organization’s fund in respect of 1 person is the rate in cents, for each quarter after 30 June 2000, calculated using the formula:

where:

family contributors is the aggregate number of contributors who contribute to any organization’s fund in respect of more than 1 person.

single contributors is the aggregate number of contributors who contribute to any organization’s fund in respect of 1 person.

 (3) The rate of levy in respect of a contributor who contributes to an organization’s fund in respect of more than 1 person is the rate in cents, for each quarter after 30 June 2000, calculated using the formula:

where family contributors and single contributors have the same meaning as in subregulation (2).

 (4) The levy to which subregulation (2) or (3) applies is payable:

 (a) for the quarters commencing on 1 July 2000, 1 October 2000, 1 January 2001 and 1 April 2001 — on 17 December 2000; and

 (b) for the quarters in a subsequent financial year — on 17 December in that year.

Note   Regulation 6 identifies who is a contributor to an organization’s fund for the purposes of this regulation. Membership data held by the Private Health Insurance Administration Council will be used to calculate the number of those contributors.

6 Who is a contributor to an organization’s fund?

 (1) For the purposes of regulations 4 and 5, a person is a contributor to an organization’s fund other than a new fund only if:

 (a) the person was a contributor to the fund on 30 June last occurring before a day on which levy is payable; or

 (b) the person is a contributor to whom subregulation (4) applies.

 (2) For the purposes of regulations 4 and 5:

 (a) if a new fund commences business in the quarter commencing on 1 July, a person is a contributor to the new fund for that quarter and the following quarter only if the person is a contributor to whom subregulation (4) applies; and

 (b) if a new fund commences business in the quarter commencing on 1 October, a person is a contributor to the new fund for that quarter only if the person is a contributor to whom subregulation (4) applies.

 (3) For the purposes of regulations 4 and 5, a person is a contributor to a new fund for the quarters commencing on 1 January and 1 April following the day on which the fund commences business only if:

 (a) the person was a contributor to the fund on 31 December in the year in which the fund commenced business; or

 (b) the person is a contributor to whom subregulation (4) applies.

 (4) For the purposes of regulations 4 and 5, each of the following persons is a contributor to an organization’s fund:

 (a) if:

 (i) the business of another organization’s fund is transferred to the organization’s fund; and

 (ii) the transferring fund is not a new fund;

a person who was a contributor to the transferring fund on 30 June last occurring before a day on which levy is payable;

 (b) if:

 (i) the business of another organization’s fund is transferred to the organization’s fund; and

 (ii) the transferring fund is a new fund;

a person who was a contributor to the transferring fund on 31 December following the day on which the transferring fund commenced business.

Note   If an organization’s fund commences business in a quarter commencing on 1 January or 1 April, persons who join the fund before 30 June in the same year are not counted as contributors for that period, and the fund will pay no levy in respect of those contributors for that period, unless subregulation 6 (4) applies.

For the purposes of calculating levy in respect of its business in the following financial year, the number of contributors to the organization’s fund will include all persons who are contributors to the fund in accordance with regulation 6, including, for example, persons who are contributors to the fund on that 30 June.

Notes to the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995

Note 1

The Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995 (in force under the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 1995 No. 264 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, which came into force on 1 January 2005, it is a requirement for all nonexempt legislative instruments to be registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.  From 1 January 2005 the Statutory Rules series ceased to exist and was replaced with Select Legislative Instruments (SLI series). Numbering conventions remain the same, ie Year and Number.

Table of Instruments

Year and
number

Date of notification
in Gazette or FRLI registration

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

1995 No. 264

12 Sept 1995

1 Oct 1995

 

2000 No. 9

9 Mar 2000

10 Mar 2000

2005 No. 274

29 Nov 2005 (see F2005L03690)

30 Nov 2005

2006 No. 285

2 Nov 2006 (see F2006L03465)

3 Nov 2006

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

R. 1.................

rs. 2000 No. 9

R. 4.................

rs. 2000 No. 9

R. 5.................

rs. 2000 No. 9

 

am. 2005 No. 274; 2006 No. 285

 

 

Overview

The Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995 were made under the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995 and commenced on 1 October 1995. These regulations were enacted by the Parliament of Australia to address a gap in the regulation of the private health insurance industry in Australia, specifically to establish a levy system to fund the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. The policy objective was to ensure that there was a mechanism in place to handle complaints about private health insurance and to provide a fair and efficient resolution process. The regulations outline the rates of levy payable by registered organizations for the periods specified, with the levy being calculated based on the number of contributors to an organization's fund. The regulations also detail the criteria for determining who is considered a contributor to an organization's fund, including provisions for new funds and transferring funds. The levy rates and payment dates are set out to ensure compliance and efficient collection of the levy.

Scope and Application

The Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995, made under the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995, apply to registered organisations conducting health insurance business in Australia. These regulations set out the levy rates for these organisations, distinguishing between different types of contributors, such as those contributing for one person or multiple persons. The levy rates are specified for certain quarters ending in 2000 and for subsequent quarters, with specific payment dates outlined. The levy calculations consider data from the Private Health Insurance Administration Council and differentiate between new, transferring, and ongoing funds. The regulations also clarify who is considered a contributor, taking into account various scenarios like new fund commencements and business transfers. The scope of these regulations is national, affecting all registered health insurance organisations across Australia. Any amendments to the regulations are noted and reflect changes made in subsequent statutory rules.

Key Provisions

The Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Regulations 1995, made under the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995, set out the rates of levy for the quarters ending 31 March 2000 and 30 June 2000, as well as the rates of levy after 30 June 2000. The levy rate is calculated using specific formulas based on the aggregate number of family and single contributors. For contributors who contribute to an organization’s fund in respect of one person, the rate is calculated based on the number of family and single contributors, while for contributors who contribute for more than one person, a different formula is used. The levy is payable on specific dates, either on 17 March 2000 for the initial quarters or on 17 December for subsequent quarters. The regulations impose certain obligations on parties governed by them, particularly registered organizations involved in health insurance. These obligations include ensuring that they calculate the levy accurately based on the number of contributors and that they make the payments on the specified dates. The regulations also require registered organizations to identify who is considered a contributor to their organization’s fund, as this directly impacts the levy calculation. The definition of a contributor includes those who were contributors as of a certain date or who meet specific criteria related to new or transferring funds. Failure to comply with the obligations set out in these regulations can result in various consequences. While the specific offences and penalties are not detailed in the provided text, it is implied that breaches could lead to financial penalties or other legal consequences under the Private Health Insurance Complaints Levy Act 1995. The precise nature of these penalties would depend on the specific provisions of the Act, but typically, non-compliance with regulatory requirements can result in fines, legal action, or other enforcement measures to ensure adherence to the law.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Taxation Law
Instrument
Statutory Instrument
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Levy Calculation
Compliance Obligations

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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.