Published Impact Analyses

In the 2013-14 Budget, released on 14 May 2013, the Australian Government announced its decision to establish a national patient contact register for implantable devices, and two clinical quality registers for breast implants and cardiac devices. The Government had previously prepared a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) to support an in-principle decision to develop clinical registers for high risk implantable medical devices, and committed to examine options to track the use and performance of such devices and funding models. The purpose of this implementation RIS was to assist the Australian Government in deciding how to best implement the decision to support the registers.

On 14 May 2013, as part of revenue measures announced in the Australian Government’s 2012-13 Budget, the Government announced new levies for the olive industry. The levies commenced on 1 May 2013. The olives industry’s perception is that greater expenditure on research and development (R&D) is required in order to:

On 21 May 2013, the Department of Health and Ageing issued a revised Australian Code of Good Manufacturing Practice for human blood and blood components, human tissues and human cellular therapy (HCT) products. The proposed update seeks to improve the safety and quality of HCT products supplied in Australia. The update intends to align manufacturing requirements with industry practice and international regulation. The update will also remove technical requirements from the Code which will be transferred to a new Therapeutic Goods Order: Standards for minimising infectious disease transmission via therapeutic goods that are human blood and blood components, human tissues and human cellular therapy products.

On 28 March 2013 the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) Select Council on Housing and Homelessness announced that a phased introduction of the National Regulatory System (NRS) for Community Housing would commence on 1 July 2013. There will be a six month trial implementation involving a small number of community housing providers (approximately 25), with registration for providers in general to commence from 1 January 2014 in those jurisdictions which have passed legislation that mirrors the Community Housing Providers National Law. Community housing is housing assistance delivered by community organisations to people on low to moderate incomes with a housing need.

On 29 April 2010, the then Prime Minister announced a one-off increase of 25 per cent to the excise and excise‑equivalent customs duty applying to tobacco products. The increase was intended to progress recommendations of the National Preventative Health Strategy Report and the Australia’s Future Tax System Review in reducing the affordability of tobacco products. A Regulation Impact Statement was not prepared by the Department of the Treasury for the joint proposal. Consequently, a Post-implementation Review (PIR) was required to be undertaken in line with the Government’s best practice regulation process. The PIR found that the one off increase in tobacco excise and excise equivalent customs duty met three of four identified policy objectives. In particular, the increase in excise:

On 13 May 2013, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that it was seeking public comment on proposed regulatory changes to establish a more efficient and effective set of identity verification requirements for prepaid mobile carriage services. This initiative follows a review by an industry and government working group led by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) and a request from the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy to the ACMA to introduce the necessary regulatory changes. The review and Minister’s request were supported by a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) prepared by DBCDE on Changes to Identity Verification Requirements for Prepaid Mobile Services. Prepaid mobile services are viewed as a popular option for users with low usage requirements and basic or inexpensive handsets.

On 3 May 2013, the Standing Council on Primary Industries (SCOPI) announced a decision on reforms to the single national regulatory framework for agricultural and veterinary chemicals (AgVet chemicals). These reforms seek to harmonise the assessment, registration and the control-of-use elements. (Control-of-use refers to the regulation of AgVet chemical use after the point of retail sale that is regulated at the jurisdictional level.) The national scheme addresses the issues that have arisen from the highly fragmented control-of-use systems of the states and territories. These include the uncoordinated risk management of AgVet chemicals, inconsistent regulation of user access to chemicals and unnecessary regulatory burden as a result of duplication.

On 7 March 2013, the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) received correspondence from Senator the Hon Eric Abetz expressing concerns that the Building Code 2013 would have significant impacts on the construction sector and that a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) should have been prepared. Based on information provided by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, OBPR advised that a RIS was not required for the proposal. This assessment was based on information from the department that the new Building Code 2013 was likely to have a minor impact on business as it would merely codify the existing Australian Government Implementation Guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry and it would not impose any new policy or obligations on industry. Further information is included in the attached letter responding to Senator Abetz.

On 11 April 2013, the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) approved an amendment to the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure (‘the NEPM’). The amendment incorporates updated methodologies for assessing human and ecological risks and site assessment methods in line with advances in Australia and overseas. The NEPM is a risk based framework used by regulators, site assessors, consultants, environmental auditors, landowners, developers and industry to assess whether site contamination requires further investigation or remediation. A statutory review in 2005-06 found that the NEPM may not be effectively protecting health and environment outcomes due to the use of outdated methodologies.

On 26 April 2013, the Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation announced that the Government will strengthen the professional indemnity insurance requirements for Australian Financial Services Licensees (‘Licensees’). These changes were announced as part of the Australian Government’s response to the report, Compensation arrangements for consumers of financial services (‘the St John Report’). Currently, licensees are only required to provide information on the adequacy of their indemnity insurance when applying for a license. Guidance from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) recommends that licensees undertake their own assessment of their indemnity insurance on an ongoing basis to ensure it reflects their business needs, including risk exposure.