Published Impact Analyses

On 14 November 2011, the Assistant Treasurer announced that the Government will introduce a standard definition of ‘flood’ for certain insurance policies. The announcement was part of the Government’s response to the recommendations in the Natural Disaster Insurance Review report. The standard definition will apply when an insurer offers flood cover for a home building, home contents, small business or strata title insurance policy. Draft regulations on the standard definition will be released for consultation by the end of 2011.

The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations introduced legislation on 24 November to make it easier for outworkers to receive minimum entitlements and to ensure compliance with the relevant provisions at all levels of the supply chain. The legislation provides a nationally consistent approach to workplace protection for textile, clothing and footwear industry outworkers by:

On 24 November 2011, the Government introduced amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to amend local content and local presence requirements for regional commercial radio. Local content and local presence requirements were introduced to ensure commercial radio services in regional areas provide local content and maintain a local presence if ownership changed. Amendments will reduce but not remove the regulatory burden of these requirements for most regional commercial radio stations by granting affected stations increased flexibility to meet the requirements. Additionally, remote broadcasters and regional commercial radio broadcasters primarily providing racing services will be exempted from local presence and local content requirements. A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy and was assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.

On 15 November 2011, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Minister Assisting on Deregulation announced details of reforms to the regulation of agricultural and veterinary chemicals.  These reforms will better align the assessment effort with the risks posed and impose time limits for the regulator to complete assessments. The reforms also introduce a scheme for the continuation of approvals and registrations, otherwise known as the re-registration process, and a graduated compliance regime.

On 23 September 2011, the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations announced a decision to introduce a new Tuition Protection Service and other related measures. The Tuition Protection Service is a single mechanism to place students when an education provider closes, or as a last resort, to provide refunds of unexpended course fees. A number of complementary initiatives are also being introduced including limiting the amount of pre-paid course fees that may be collected by providers; requiring some providers to keep initial pre-paid fees in a separate account until a student commences study; strengthening record keeping obligations; and establishing a national registration system which will allow the registration of providers who operate across jurisdictions.

On 22 November 2011, the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations and the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport jointly announced that the Government will establish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, which will have the ability to set pay or pay-related conditions to promote safe driving practices for truck drivers. Despite road safety improvements, there are still an unacceptably high number of truck accidents. Speed and fatigue are often identified as the primary cause for a crash. However, there is some research to suggest that the remuneration for drivers is a factor in safety outcomes.

On 9 November 2011, the Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations announced that model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations and Codes of Practice have been approved by the majority of Australian jurisdictions by way of the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council. The model WHS Regulations support the model WHS Act. Codes of Practice are practical guides to achieving the standards of health and safety required under the WHS Act and WHS Regulations.  The model WHS Act, WHS Regulations and Codes of Practice achieve nationally harmonised work health and safety standards. With the exception of Victoria and Western Australia, jurisdictions have committed to implement the new regime from 1 January 2012. Achieving uniform occupational health and safety laws is one of the 27 deregulation priority reforms currently being delivered under the National Partnership Agreement to Deliver a Seamless National Economy.

On 1 November 2011, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy made a Spectrum Re-allocation Declaration stating that parts of the 700 MHz spectrum band (the digital dividend) will be subject to re-allocation under spectrum licenses. This declaration was made after the Minister received a recommendation from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to re-allocate parts of the 700 MHz spectrum. The digital dividend spectrum affected by the declaration will be made available from the switch to digital-only television broadcasting in Australia. The ACMA is now preparing to hold an auction in late 2012 to allocate the spectrum defined in the Minister’s declaration. A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the ACMA and assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.

On 2 November 2011, the Minister for Defence Materiel introduced the Defence Trade Controls Bill 2011, into the House of Representatives. Australia has an existing regime that regulates the export of defence related goods. This regime requires businesses to apply for permits and comply with permit conditions. The Bill enhances the existing regime to add controls regarding:

On 5 September 2011, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry announced a new system of export certification for Australian meatworks. The changes give businesses greater flexibility in how staff are deployed when not undertaking export inspection work and focus regulatory resources on risk areas. Where international agreements allow, accredited non-Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) personnel will be able to carry out audit and inspection functions currently performed by AQIS staff. Proposed new IT systems are also expected to increase efficiency for AQIS through better management of records. A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and was assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.