On 13 November 2013, the Prime Minister introduced the Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Bill 2013. The repeal of the carbon tax is an election commitment of the Government. The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) assessed the significance of this proposal as A-level, meaning it is expected to have significant economy-wide impacts. The carbon tax is directly applied to a limited range of inputs, and is paid by a relatively small number of businesses or ‘liable entities’. The carbon tax directly increases the cost of: electricity and gas; managing landfill and wastewater; liquid fuels for off-road use; and synthetic greenhouse gases. Some of these products, such as electricity and gas, are used as inputs to other production processes. Consequently, a change in the price of an input can also have indirect effects on prices other products.
Published Impact Analyses
Official website for Published Impact Analyses for decisions announced by the Australian Government, Ministerial Forums and National Standard Setting Bodies.
On 22 October 2013, the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development introduced a requirement through Australian Design Rules 31/03 and 35/05 under section 7 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 for Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to be fitted to new light commercial vehicles (LCVs). ESC will be mandated from 2015 for new vehicle models and 2017 for all new vehicles. ESC is already mandatory for light passenger vehicles. ESC is an advanced vehicle stability system that works by automatically braking individual wheels to help the driver steer in the intended direction during a skid. Research has shown that ESC in LCVs is likely to be around 30 per cent effective at averting single vehicle crashes.
On 22 October 2013, the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development introduced a requirement through Australian Design Rules 31/03 and 35/05 under section 7 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 for Brake Assist Systems (BAS) to be fitted to new light passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles. BAS will be mandated from 2015 for new vehicle models, 2016 for all new light passenger vehicles and 2017 for all new light commercial vehicles. BAS are designed to help drivers stop more quickly in an emergency situation. By detecting when a vehicle is undergoing emergency braking and then applying the maximum braking force, BAS can minimise the stopping distance of a vehicle and help to either avoid a collision or reduce its severity. BAS has significant potential to reduce road trauma involving pedestrians and cyclists.
On 16 June 2013, the former Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, the Hon Mr Jason Clare MP announced the intention to introduce legislation that would implement a “reverse onus of proof” scheme for importation of synthetic drugs. The Attorney General’s Department was required to prepare a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) prior to this announcement in order to examine the impacts of the proposal on legitimate importers. As a RIS was not prepared the Office of Best Practice Regulation assessed the Attorney General’s Department as non‑compliant with the Australian Government’s best practice regulation requirements (June 2010 version). The announcement was identified as part of the end of financial year compliance checking process for the preparation of the Best Practice Regulation Report 2012-13.
The Australian Government proposes to make changes to the regulation of registered organisations. These changes are a specific election commitment of the Government. Registered organisations are those employer and employee associations that are registered under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 (RO Act). Associations that become registered organisations can access privileges and rights under the RO Act and Fair Work Act 2009 that allow them to represent the interests of their members in workplace matters, for example by
On 30 October 2013, Safe Work Australia released a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement examining measures to manage work safety risks in stevedoring. Safe Work Australia is seeking to address poor safety performance in the stevedoring industry demonstrated by the high rate of fatalities and serious injuries relative to other industries. Problems that may be contributing to poor safety performance include:
On 15 October 2013, the Prime Minister and the Environment Minister released for public consideration draft legislation repealing the carbon tax. The repeal is a specific election commitment of the Government. The carbon tax is directly applied to a limited range of inputs, and is paid by a relatively small number of businesses or ‘liable entities’. The carbon tax directly increases the cost of: electricity and gas; managing landfill and wastewater; liquid fuels for off-road use; synthetic greenhouse gases. However, because these products and services are inputs to a wide range of other processes through the economy, the price of many other goods and services are indirectly increased as a result of the tax. The repeal of the carbon tax is likely to have two main effects:
On 11 October 2013, ABARES published a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on potential changes to improve the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) for sheep and goats. The consultation RIS notes that NLIS for sheep and goats currently does not enable tracing of animals to the standards required under the National Livestock Traceability Performance Standards. Accurate and timely livestock traceability is important for managing biosecurity, food safety, and animal welfare risks. The consultation RIS seeks feedback on the identified options for improving the NLIS, the proposed method for economic analysis and other aspects of the document.
On 4 September 2013, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) tabled (see also here) legislation altering the formula behind the annual numbering charge (ANC) – a per number levy which telecommunications firms that hold phone numbers are required to pay. The changes exempt four types of short-digit access codes from the ANC. The Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) notes that the previous charges levied on the specific short-digit access codes acted as a potential barrier to entry. Exempting these access codes from the ANC may allow greater opportunities for new and smaller firms to enter and fully participate in the telecommunications market, which is likely to benefit consumers.
On 6 September 2013, the Private Health Insurance Administration Council (PHIAC) made changes to the Capital Adequacy and Solvency Standards for private health insurers. The Capital Adequacy and Solvency Standards ensure that as far as practicable, the financial position of a health benefits fund conducted by a private health insurer is such that the private health insurer will be able to meet its liabilities, and carry enough capital for the conduct of the fund in the accordance with the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 (Cth), and in the interests of the policy holders of the health benefits fund.