Regulation Impact Statement – Department of Home Affairs
On 2 August 2018, the Government made the Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources Activity) Regulations 2018. The amendments will reduce costs for businesses operating in Australia’s offshore resources sector by allowing certain Maritime Crew Visa (MCV) holders working on petroleum export tankers to participate in, or support, an offshore resources activity in Australia’s migration zone.
More specifically, the amendments ensure that MCV holders on offtake tankers participating in, or supporting an offshore resources activity remain compliant with the migration legislative framework by:
- permitting them to enter Australia at an offshore resources activity area rather than at a proclaimed port; and
- exempting this cohort from immigration clearance requirements, if their entry to Australia (that is, an offshore resources activity area) has been reported in writing to Immigration.
Allowing a specific cohort of Maritime Crew Visa holders to participate in, or support, an offshore resources activity in limited circumstances negates the risk of operations on offshore platforms being shut down or curtailed, due to reaching or approaching full storage capacity.
The Department of Home Affairs was compliant with the Australian Government’s Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) requirements for this proposal. The standard form RIS prepared by the Department was assessed as consistent with best practice by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR). The Department estimated regulatory savings of $8,000 a year, in accordance with the Government’s Regulatory Burden measurement framework. These were agreed with the OBPR.