Published Impact Analyses

On 22 October 2014, the Minister for Communications introduced legislation to make the registration period for numbers on the Do Not Call Register indefinite. The proposal was strongly supported by consumers and will enable them to avoid having to periodically re-register their telephone and fax numbers. The proposal has been assessed as likely to have a measurable but contained impact on the economy with minor impacts on competition. A Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) was prepared and certified by the Department of Communications under the March 2014 Australian Government Guide to Regulation and has beenassessed as compliant by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.

The Department of Health has completed a Post-implementation Review (PIR) on the 2010 decision to renew the pharmacy location rules. These rules prescribe location-based criteria that must be satisfied in order to establish a new pharmacy or relocate an existing pharmacy. A RIS was required to be prepared for the renewal or retention of pharmacy location rules as these could entail a restriction on competition, and were assessed by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) as likely to have a measurable impact on the economy. Because an adequate RIS was not prepared at the decision-making stage, a PIR was required to be prepared within 1-2 years of the implementation of the decision to renew the rules.

On 7 November 2014, the Education Council released a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) containing a number of proposed changes to the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010, the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, and to associated guidance material, all of which are part of the National Quality Framework (NQF). The Education Council has highlighted potential changes in a number of areas. These include changes to the regulation of Family Day Care services and Outside School Hours Care, as well as the possibility of expanding the scope of services regulated under the NQF. The COAG RIS for consultation was prepared for the Education Council and has been approved by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.

On 26 September 2014, the COAG Industry and Skills Council endorsed new standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and VET regulators, and noted that there was a requirement for further development of qualification requirements for teachers delivering the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. The draft standards were subsequently amended to strengthen requirements for the delivery of this qualification, and the Commonwealth Minister for Industry made the new standards on 20 October 2014 (Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 and Standards for VET Regulators 2015).

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.