EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS (CERTIFICATES OF PROFICIENCY) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
STATUTORY RULE NO. 152
ISSUED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
Subsection 93(1) of the Radiocommunications Act 1983 (‘the Act’) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing matters required or permitted by the Act to be prescribed or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
Paragraph 93(2)(k) of the Act provides that, without limiting the generality of the regulation making power in subsection (1), regulations may make provision for and in relation to, amongst other things, the conduct of examinations under sections 31 and 32.
The Regulations amend paragraphs 4(b), 5(b) and 6(b) of the Radiocommunications (Certificates of Proficiency) Regulations by omitting the words “(unrestricted)”, “(limited)” and “(novice)” respectively. The three provisions deal with examinations for amateur operators, limited amateur operators and novice amateur operators.
One of the matters to be examined under the three provisions is the examinee’s knowledge of such of the regulations under the Telecommunication Convention and the provisions of the Act and regulations made under the Act as relate to the operation of an amateur station.
As they stood the regulations suggested that a different level of knowledge of the Act and regulations was required of unrestricted amateur operators, limited amateur operators and novice amateur operators. In fact the level of knowledge required under each examination is exactly the same and the amendment will make this clear.