EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1990 NO 199
Issued by the Authority of the Minister of State for Primary Industries and Energy.
PRIMARY INDUSTRIES AND ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT 1989
RURAL INDUSTRIES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Section 9 of the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 (the Act) establishes the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and provides that the regulations may specify the primary industries or class of primary industries in respect of which the Corporation is established.
Section 5 of the Act provides for a declaration by the regulations as to the levies to be attached to the Corporation. The whole of the levies imposed by section 5 of the Triticale Levy Act 1988, section 6 of the Pasture Seed Levy Act 1989 and section 5 of the Goat Fibre Levy Act 1989 is attached by the regulations under this provision.
Section 40 of the Act provides that the regulations may require a Research and Development Corporation to keep separate accounting records in relation to specified classes of research and development activities, specify the amounts to be credited and debited in the accounting records and the manner in which the amounts are to be calculated. Subsection 40(2) of the Act provides that the regulations may make provision in relation to the expenditure of monies to which the accounting records relate.
The regulations require the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation to keep separate accounting records for each of the triticale, pasture seeds and goat fibre industries, specifies the amounts to be credited and debited to these accounts and restricts expenditure from these accounts to research and development activities and associated administrative expenses in respect of the primary industry to which the accounts relate.
Subsection 32(2) of the Act provides for a statement in the regulations as to the manner in which the Minister is to determine the amount of the gross value of production of the
goods that are the produce of the industry to which a levy relates for a financial year. This is important in that subsection 32(1) of the Act limits the Commonwealth’s matching payments to the Corporation in a particular financial year to a maximum amount equal to 0.5% of the gross value of production, as determined by the Minister, for that financial year.
The regulations will commence on 1 July 1990.
SR No. 187/90.