EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1984 NO. 27
QUARANTINE (PLANTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Issued by the authority of the Minister for Health
Section 87 of the Quarantine Act 1908 provides, amongst other things, that the Governor-General may make regulations prescribing the fees payable in respect of quarantine services and by whom those fees are payable. In addition, sub-section 64(1) of the Act provides, amongst other things, that the expenses connected with the examination of any plants or goods, and of their conveyance to a quarantine station, and of their detention, maintenance and treatment in quarantine or under quarantine surveillance shall be paid to the Commonwealth by the importer or owner of the plants or goods.
Sub-regulation 6(1) of the existing Quarantine (Plants) Regulations provides that a fee for a plant quarantine service shall be as specified in Schedule 2. Regulation 6 further provides for the charging of a number of additional fees in respect of certain plant quarantine services and the payment of a standard annual fee by importers.
The proposed Statutory Rules would repeal Schedule 2 and replace it with a new schedule of fees. The new Schedule would provide for increased fees together with a restructuring of a number of the items to reflect current importation procedures. The Schedule also includes three new items to provide for the cleaning of motor vehicles and other equipment (Item No. 15), the supervision of the cleaning of goods or other equipment (Item No. 20) and the lodgement of a form approved by the Director in accordance with regulation 4 (Item No. 24). Items 4 and 5 and 9 and 10 in the existing schedule were amalgamated to make Items 4 and 8.
The fees have been increased in accordance with Governmental policy to recover those costs directly connected with the quarantine plant services. Departmental investigations have revealed that these costs account for approximately two-thirds of the total plant quarantine administrative expenditure and the new fees have been structured accordingly.
A transitional provision has been incorporated into the amendments providing that these regulations do not apply in relation to a consignment of goods already ordered by the importer, or goods which are in transit to Australia, before the commencement of these
regulations. The amendments to the regulations are expressed to come into effect on 1 March 1984.