Commonwealth of Australia Explanatory Memoranda

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AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL AMENDMENT BILL 2008

                               2008




THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA




               HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES




AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL AMENDMENT BILL 2008




               EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM




                      (Circulated by authority of
    the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research,
                 Senator the Honourable Kim Carr)
      AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL AMENDMENT BILL 2008


GENERAL OUTLINE

The purpose of the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2008 (the Bill) is to
provide additional funding to the Australian Research Council (ARC). This funding
supports schemes which the ARC delivers to foster high quality research activity as
part of Australia's national innovation system.

Specifically the Bill will:
   1. Provide funding for the Future Fellowships ­ Establishment budget measure;
   2. Apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts in the Act;
   3. Create an additional out year financial forward estimate.

The Future Fellowships scheme is a new scheme which will provide new
opportunities for mid-career researchers of significant ability to undertake important
research in Australia.

FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT

The Bill will increase spending by approximately $950 million over 4 years. The
purpose of the proposed amendments is to increase funding to implement the new
Future Fellowships scheme and to apply indexation against existing schemes. The
proposed amendments do not impact on the Australian Research Council Act 2001
and impact only on the administered special appropriation available. The proposed
amendments do not provide any additional departmental funds to the ARC.
NOTES ON CLAUSES

Clause 1 ­ Short Title

This clause provides for the Bill, once enacted , to be cited as the Australian Research
Council Amendment Act 2008.

Clause 2 ­ Commencement

This clause specifies the commencement date for the Bill. This means that the
proposed amendments set out in Schedule 1 will commence on the day the Bill, once
enacted, receives the Royal Assent.

Clause 3 ­ Schedules(s)

Clause 3 provides that the proposed amendments to any Act specified in Schedule 1 to
the Bill, and any other items in a Schedule, are amended or repealed as set out in the
applicable items in the Schedule concerned. Any item in a Schedule to this Act has
effect according to its terms.

SCHEDULE 1 ­ AMENDMENTS

Item 1 ­ At the end of Subsection 48(2)

The proposed amendment in Item 1 provides for a new paragraph (h) at the end of
subsection 48(2).
The proposed amendment makes reference to a new financial year of financial
information, commencing 1 July 2011.

Item 2 ­ Paragraphs 49(i), (j) and (k)

The proposed amendment in Item 2 provides for the repeal of current paragraphs
49(i), (j) and (k) of the Australian Research Council Act 2001.

In place of the repealed paragraphs 49(i), (j) and (k), new paragraphs 49(i), (j), (k) and
(l) are substituted.

The proposed amendments of this section of the Australian Research Council Act
2001update the existing special appropriation amount administered by the Australian
Research Council to include indexation and provide funding for the Future
Fellowships ­ Establishment budget measure, announced in the 2008-09 Budget.

The financial year commencing 1 July 2011 is a new forward estimate of financial
expenditure.