EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1990 NO. 120
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy.
RURAL INDUSTRIES RESEARCH ACT 1985
RURAL INDUSTRIES RESEARCH REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Section 39F of the Rural Industries Research Act 1985 (the Act) provides that regulations may attach a levy or class of levy to the Special Research Fund and Special Research Council established under the Act.
Section 62 of the Act provides that the Governor-General may make regulations prescribing all matters necessary or convenient to be prescribed for giving effect to the Act.
The Act is concerned with the organisation and administrative arrangements under which Government and industry monies are allocated to rural industry research. Funds are allocated by Research Councils or State Research Committees representing each of the industries for which research levies are collected under Commonwealth legislation. The objects of this legislation are to ensure expenditure on rural industry research increases the commercial returns to producers and to
improve accountability for expenditure on rural research and development.
It is proposed that these Regulations be amended to include levies collected for the purpose of financing research and development relevant to the triticale and pasture seed industries.
The Triticale Levy Act 1988 and the Triticale Levy Collection Act 1988 provide for the imposition and collection of a levy of $1 per tonne on leviable triticale either, delivered by the grower to another person other than for storage on behalf of the grower, or processed by the grower. This levy came into operation on 1 January 1989.
The Pasture Seed Levy Act 1989 and Pasture Seed Levy Collection Act 1989 provide for the imposition and collection of a levy on certain pasture seeds produced in Australia. A levy of $7-50, $10-00 and $12-50 per tonne on certified production of medics, clovers and lucerne respectively came into operation in December 1989, although collections did not commence until January 1990.
All monies collected by the triticale and pasture seed levies will be channelled directly through the Special Research Fund, which was established by the Act. To enable this to take place it is declared that the whole of the triticale and pasture seed levies are for research and that from 1 April 1989 and 1 April 1990 respectively levy payments will be attached to the Special Research Fund and Special Research Council.