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

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness upon notice, on 01 November 2012:

For each department and agency under the Financial Management and Accountability Act1997 and each Commonwealth authority under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act1997 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.

Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and myself, the answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

(1) Answering this would require an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(2) Answering this would require an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(3) Yes.

(4) Answers for each financial year are set out below:

2009-10

(a) 13

(b) 2 of 13 pieces of regulation passed.

  (i) 5 additional pieces of regulation passed:

- Charter of the United Nations (Dealing with Assets) Amendement Regulation 2010 (No.1)

- Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Eritrea) Regulations 2010;

- Charter of the United Nations (UN Sanction Enforcement Law) Amendment Declaration 2010 (No. 1);

- Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Liberia) Amendment Regulations 2010 (No. 1);

- Australia-EU Security of Classified Information Agreement, tabled in Parliament on 12 May 2010.

  (i) 11 of 13 prices of regulation no passed:

- WTO Doha Round Negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Legislative amendment regarding simplifying and expanding EFIC's powers (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Negotiation of Australia-China Free Trade Agreement (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Negotiation of Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Negotiation of Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Negotiation of Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Scheme for accreditation of entities to issue Certificates of Origin under Australia's Free Trade Agreement (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- World Wine Trade Group Agreement on Labelling Requirements (tabled 15 June 2010, but entry force in Australia not until 1 June 2012);

- Negotiation of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) (the final ACTA text did not require any changes to Australian laws);

- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement Negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy).

- Australia-Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement Negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy).

20010-11

(a) 8

(b) 6 of 8 pieces of regulation passed.

  (i) No additional pieces of regulation passed.

  (ii) 2 of 8 pieces of regulation not passed:

- WTO Doha Round Negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Amendment to the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act 1991 to simplify and expand EFIC's powers (in part 4 of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act 1991) (deferred pending outcome of Productivity Commission review of export credit in Australia).

20011-12

(a) 4

(b) 2 of 4 pieces of regulation passed.

  (i) 3 additional pieces of regulation passed:

- Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Iran) (Export Sanctioned Goods) List Amendment Declaration 2011 (No. 1);

- Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions – Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) Amendment Regulations 2011 (No. 2);

- Amendment to Annex 4-A of the United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA).

  (ii) 2 of 4 pieces of regulation not passed:

- WTO Doha Round Negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

- Australia's Free Trade Agreement negotiations (difficult to predict such regulatory change with accuracy);

20012-13

(a) 9

(b) Unable to comment – financial year still underway.

(5) No.

(6) Not applicable to this department.