WILDLIFE PROTECTION (REGULATION OF EXPORTS AND IMPORTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1993 NO. 226

WILDLIFE PROTECTION (REGULATION OF EXPORTS AND IMPORTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1993 NO. 226

STATUTORY RULES 1993 No. 226

(Issued under the Authority of the Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories)

Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982

Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Regulations (Amendment)

The purpose of these Regulations is to amend the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Regulations (the Regulations), which are in force under the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982. Section 81 of the Act provides that the Governor-General may make regulations prescribing matters necessary for carrying out the Act, and section 79 provides that the regulations may prescribe for fees to be paid in respect of applications made, the grant of permits or the giving of authorities.

The level of fees has not increased since the Act commenced in May 1984. A review of the legislation undertaken by the Attorney-General's Department in 1991/92 identified the need to take account of current Commonwealth practices of cost recovery. Accordingly, with some allowances for community service obligations, the scale of fees for permits, authorities and related services provided under the Act is proposed to be amended to more accurately reflect costs associated with administering the Act. In many cases the proposed new fee for a particular type of permit or authority will increase only marginally. In other cases the level of fee will increase markedly, or provide for a fee to be charged for a service that has thus far been provided at no cost. In some instances the new fee will actually be less than the existing fee.

The revised fee schedule is considered an interim measure, pending proposed amendments to the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982. The proposed amendments to the Act will require a consequential review of the fee structure. The fee structure currently being proposed will provide the basis for this revision.

The Regulations currently prescribe the fees (Regulation 16 and Schedule 3 of the Regulations) in respect of permits or authorities. The Regulations do not prescribe fees in respect of applications, ie applications for:

•       an organisation to become an approved institution - subsection 11 (3);

•       a zoological organisation to be declared an approved zoological organisation -subsection 12(3).

The proposed regulations include a fee ($150) for such applications.