EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULE NO. 257 OF 1984
Issued by the Authority of the Minister of State for Transport
Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Regulations (Amendment)
Section 6 of the Protection of the Sea (Shipping Levy) Act 1981 provides that the levy applicable under the Act may be set by regulation at a rate not exceeding four cents per ton of the tonnage of ships to which the Act applies.
Section 9 provides that the Governor-General may make regulations for the purposes of Section 6.
The new regulations reduce the existing rate of levy provided for under the legislation from 2.0 cents to 1.7 cents per ton of the tonnage of a ship per quarter. The levy provides funds for the maintenance and administration of the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil. Consideration given to the financial projections of the National Plan indicates that a reduction of 15% in levy collections would support the expenditure program over the next 5 years.