Published Impact Analyses

On 22 October 2014, the Minister for Agriculture announced that Agriculture Ministers from each State and Territory jurisdiction had agreed to make necessary improvements to the National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) for sheep and goats by building on the systems already in place. The scheme is important for managing biosecurity, food safety, and animal welfare risks. The COAG Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) for improving the NLIS assesses the costs and benefits of three options for improving traceability:

On 2 October 2014, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) commenced consultation on proposed changes to its annual compliance report. Certain entities have an obligation to prepare an annual report (the ‘annual compliance report’) relating to their compliance with anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing rules. The annual compliance report comprises an online questionnaire with fixed choice responses across 22 key question areas. The report is a component of AUSTRAC’s risk-based approach to supervision of compliance with relevant rules. The Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) prepared by AUSTRAC for the proposed changes identified three problems with the current arrangements:

On 15 October 2014, the Australian Government announced changes to the regulation of therapeutic goods that will allow Australian manufacturers of medical devices to obtain market approval for most of their products using conformity assessment certification from European notified bodies. Conformity assessment is the examination of evidence and procedures to ensure that both the medical device and the process used to make the device comply with the requirements of the therapeutic goods legislation. Under current arrangements, Australian manufacturers are required to have their products undergo conformity assessment by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) before their products can be marketed in Australia.

On 14 October 2014, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Trade and Investment and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection announced that the Government will reform the 457 visa programme for skilled migrants. This follows the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection announcing an independent review into the integrity of the 457 programme in February 2014. The 457 programme is a temporary programme aimed at meeting skills shortages. It allows businesses to address labour shortages by sponsoring genuinely skilled overseas workers. The review was conducted by an independent panel which made several recommendations, which were assessed by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) as likely to have a measurable but contained impact on the economy.

On 9 October 2014, the Department of Agriculture released a draft Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) for consultation on Reducing the Regulation of Stock food and Pet food. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) regulate supply aspects of foods for livestock, pets, working animals, show animals and for any product that meets the definition of a Veterinary Chemical Product. The RIS discusses the case for reform to achieve greater alignment of regulatory effort and burden associated with stock foods given the risks posed by these products. The RIS explores two alternative options for reform:

In November 2013, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) decided to amend the National Construction Code (NCC) to remove the existing requirement for fire hose reels in new residential buildings, other than houses, and instead require additional fire extinguishers. Currently fire hose reels are required by the NCC as a first fire attack system provided for use by residents. Although regarded as effective when used correctly, there were concerns that fire hose reels are infrequently, or are inappropriately, used by building occupants when faced by fire. Given they are also expensive to install, the contention was that fire hose reels may not be the most cost‑effective solution.

On 11 September 2014, the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Victoria, invited submissions on the proposal to introduce nationally consistent rules for the care and management of livestock during their transition through saleyards and depots in Australia. Saleyards are places where livestock are bought and sold, usually by auction.  Depots are facilities or yards where livestock may be rested between journeys or holding facilities in a particular region where livestock are delivered from farms for assembly before a journey. The proposed national standards and guidelines aims to replace the existing Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals at Saleyards and eventually supersede the various state and territory codes of practice.

On 26 September 2014, the Australian Building Codes Board released a COAG Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) for consultation canvassing five proposed amendments to the National Construction Code provisions that aim to enhance emergency egress for people with disability. The COAG RIS for consultation was prepared by the Australian Building Codes Board and has been approved by the OBPR. The consultation period closes on 31 October 2014.

On 22 September 2014, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) released a consultation paper examining options to ensure that regulation of plumbing and draining products, including their installation, make adequate provision for the health and safety of building occupants. The ABCB previously undertook a review of the WaterMark Certification Scheme, which raised issues about the coverage of the scheme and the extent to which it is risk-focused, as well as the costs it imposes on some manufacturers.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) remade two sunsetting legislative instruments without significant amendments on 25 August 2014: the Radiocommunications (Accreditation – Prescribed Certificates) Principles 2003 and the Radiocommunications (Frequency Assignment Certificates) Determination 2003. The instruments support the operation of the Accredited Persons Scheme, which permits accredited persons to perform certain activities related to the authorisation of radiocommunications services. The proposal has been assessed by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) as likely to have a limited impact on the economy with no impacts on competition.