David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Resources and Energy and the Minister for Tourism, upon notice, on 1 November 2012:

For each department and agency under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and each Commonwealth authority under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 within the Minister's portfolio:

(1) How many Australian Public Service full time equivalent staff are engaged by each department, agency and authority in relation to the: (a) creation; (b) administration or management; and (c) enforcement of new or existing Acts of Parliament, legislative instruments and quasi-regulation.

(2) What and how many: (a) compliance requirements; (b) industry guidelines; (c) best practice procedures; (d) codes of conduct; and (e) any other industrial manuals/documents, have been created since December 2007.

(3) Was an Annual Regulatory Plan completed for each of the 2009 10, 2010 11, 2011 12, and 2012-13 financial years, and will a plan be completed for the 2013 14 financial year.

(4) For the 2009 10, 2010 11, 2011 12, and 2012-13 financial years: (a) how many pieces of regulation, including Acts of Parliament, legislative instruments and quasi-regulation, were included in each Annual Regulatory Plan; and (b) were the same, more or fewer pieces of regulation passed as anticipated in each Annual Regulatory Plan: (i) if more, which pieces of regulation were passed in addition to the plan, and (i) if fewer, which pieces of regulation were not passed and why were they not passed.

(5) Does each department, agency and authority assess the total costs associated with its regulatory measures; if so: (a) what is the total: (i) direct, and (ii) indirect, regulatory cost burden that each department, agency and authority imposes on the non-government sector; and (b) how much regulatory cost has each department, agency and authority: (i) imposed, and (ii) removed, from the non-government sector since August 2010.

(6) Does each department, agency and authority impose a cost-recovery scheme on the non-government sector; if so: (a) what are the cost recovery programs; (b) what fees are currently being imposed; and (c) in each case, by how much have these fees increased since August 2010.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Resources and Energy and the Minister for Tourism has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Given the very broad nature of the question attempting to answer this question would cause an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(2) Given the very broad nature of the question attempting to answer this question would cause an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(3) The Minister for Finance will provide a whole of government response.

(4) The Minister for Finance will provide a whole of government response.

(5) The Minister for Finance will provide a whole of government response.

(6) There are two cost recovery regulatory bodies in the Resources and Energy portfolio.

NOPTA

(a) NOPTA (the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator) is a fully cost recovered administrator. Its operating budget comes from regulatory levies imposed on industry. The levy incomes collected by NOPTA are documented in the annual report of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. The quanta of NOPTA's regulatory levies together with its budget costs will be subject to an annual cost effectiveness review with industry, including consultation.

(b) Levies are currently collected in relation to the Annual Title Administration Levy:

Petroleum Exploration Permit

Petroleum Exploration Permit

Petroleum Retention Lease

Petroleum Production Licence

Infrastructure Licence

Pipeline Licence

Greenhouse Gas Assessment Permit

Greenhouse Gas Injection Licence

Fees are currently charged for:

Miscellaneous fees:

Register inspection fee

Document and certification fee

Information fees

Sample inspection fees

Entry into/alteration of register

(c) Not applicable. NOPTA was established on 1 January 2012.

NOPSEMA

(a) NOPSEMA (the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Agency) is a fully cost recovered regulator. Its operating budget comes from regulatory levies imposed on industry. The levy incomes collected by NOPSEMA are documented in its annual report. The quanta of NOPSEMA's regulatory levies together with its budget costs are the subject of an annual cost effectiveness review with industry, including consultation.

(b) Levies are currently collected in relation to:

Facility safety cases

Well operations management plans

Applications to undertake well activities

Environment plans

Chargeable safety case and well investigations

An annual well levy

Fees are currently charged for:

The recovery of NOPSEMA expenses incurred on early engagement activities

Late payment penalties

(c) Since 2010, the levies have increased by:

Safety Case Safety management system (SMS) – Mobile Facilities: 13 per cent

Safety Case SMS – Non-Mobile facilities: 12 per cent

Safety Case Facility – Mobile and Non-Mobile: 12 per cent

Levis to have remained unaltered are:

Well operations management plan levies

Applications to undertake well activity levies

Environment plan levies

The annual well levy

Late payment penalties have remained the same

Chargeable safety case and well investigation levies have used the same threshold and basis of recovery of expenses incurred.

The recovery of NOPSEMA expenses incurred on early engagement activities uses the same basis as recovery of expenses incurred.