EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Statutory Rules 1985 No. 221
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Communications
Sub-section 93(1) of the Radiocommunications Act 1983 (the Principal Act) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing matters required or permitted to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for giving effect to the Act.
The Radiocommunications (Licensing and General) Regulations (the Principal Regulations) are made pursuant to sub-section 93(1) of the Principal Act. A major function of these regulations is to identify and define classes of radiocommunications transmitters and receivers which require licences under the Principal Act.
In the context of the Budget, radiocommunications licence fees payable under Taxation Acts cognate to the Principal Act are increased and fees are stipulated for several newly-created categories of licence. The amendments of the Principal Regulations reflect these new classes of transmitter licences and receiver licences, for which fees are be payable under concurrent amendments of the cognate Taxation Acts.
Details of the amending regulations are as follows:
Regulation 1 provides that the amending regulations come into operation on 9 September 1985.
Regulation 2 provides a citation for the Radiocommunications (Licensing and General) Regulations (the Principal Regulations)
Regulation 3(a) contains a consequential amendment to the numbering of certain Schedule Items to correspond with appropriate Expressions in the new Schedule.
Regulation 3(b) amends the definition of “fixed station” in sub-regulation 2(1) of the Principal Regulations to make it clear that a fixed station is a station established for communication with one other station established at a fixed point on land.
Regulation 3(c) introduces a new definition of “narrow band area receiver” which is defined as a receiving land station used in connection with a narrow band area station.
Regulation 3(d) omits the definitions of “remote control station” and “remote control Station Class C” to reflect the description “remote control station” in the new Schedule and deletion of “remote control station Class B” and “Trunked land mobile service”.
Regulation 4 amends regulation 7 of the Principal Regulations to add narrow band area receivers to the prescribed classes of receivers requiring licences under the Principal Act.
Regulation 5 repeals Schedule 1 to the Principal Regulations which provides descriptions of all classes of station in respect of which a transmitter licence can be granted under the Principal Act, and introduces a new schedule which:
(a) provides for new classes of Base Station Class A - high or low density location;
(b) provides for specified mobile stations operated in combination with a high density or low density location Base Station Class A to be authorised under a single service licence in certain circumstances;
(c) deletes the inaccurate term “terrestrial” from the existing description of Experimental station;
(d) introduces a definition of Narrow band area station;
(e) deletes references in the existing Schedule to “Remote control station, Class A” “Remote control Station, Class B” and “Trunked land mobile service”; and
(f) introduces, a new item “Remote control station”.
Authority: Section 93 of the Radiocommunications Act 1983.