EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1983 No. 103
Issued by the Authority of the Minister of State for Resources and Energy for and on behalf of the Minister of State for Primary Industry
WOOL INDUSTRY (MARKET SUPPORT FUND-REFUNDS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
These Regulations are designed to amend the Wool Industry (Market Support Fund-Refunds) Regulations (No. 154 of 1981) so as to increase the minimum refund to woolgrowers from the Wool Market Support Fund, from one cent to $10.
Section 92 of the Wool Industry Act 1972 (“the Act”) provides that the Governor-General may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act, prescribing all matters required or permitted by this Act.
The Act provides the legislative framework for a scheme of progressive repayment to woolgrowers of past levy contributions to the wool Market Support Fund, administered by the Australian Wool Corporation.
Sub-sections 42J(5), (5A) and (6) of the Act specify $25 as the minimum amount of refund payable, subject to any lower amount being prescribed by Regulation. The minimum amount to be refunded is currently set at one cent by Regulation.
In 1982, following discussions with relevant wool industry organisations, it was agreed that the minimum refund should be increased from 1 cent to $10, so that a refund would be paid on a minimum transaction of, or a minimum aggregate of wool sales transactions of, $200.
Implementation of the new minimum level required amendment of section 42J of the Act to permit aggregation of sales data for calculating the amount of the refund, and secondly an increase in the minimum refund by Regulation.
Amendments of section 42J of the Act were included in the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No. 1) 1983, which received Royal Assent on 20 June 1983 and takes effect on 18 July 1983. Regulations 1 and 2 prescribe $10 as the minimum amount to be refunded with effect from 18 July 1983.
The overall impact of introducing a minimum refund of $10 will be to improve administration of repayments from the Market Support Fund through elimination of small refunds for which the costs involved were disproportionate to the refund amount.