AUSTRALIAN farmers are being invited to have their say on the evolution of agricultural levies legislation in an online survey.
The Department of Agriculture said it is streamlining and modernising the legislation underpinning Australia’s agricultural levy system to better support agricultural industries.
A regulation impact statement is asking levy payers to consider either remaking the sunsetting legislative instruments in their current form or transforming levies legislation.
The regulation impact statement says the second option would involve redrafting the legislation and the legislative instruments that provide the detail of levies, in line with the review’s findings.
“It would provide the foundation for a modern, streamlined, flexible and efficient levy system that is easy to interact with,” the department said.
Since the 1990s, Australia’s levy system—and the legislation governing it—has grown in size and complexity. This project will reduce complexity, duplication and inconsistency in the legislation to make the system more flexible and easier to use, the department said.
The department said a critical part of this process is getting input from people with an interest in how levies work.
A series of consultations will inform how we improve the legislation to make the system more responsive to industry’s priorities and save businesses time and money. However, the department is now taking feedback on proposed changes to the legislative framework through this online survey.
In addition to online submissions, the first round of face-to-face consultation is underway with levy recipient bodies and continues until early 2020.
A second round of face-to-face consultations, focusing on industry representative bodies and collection agents, is planned to begin in early 2020. Wider consultation is planned through and beyond 2020.
Click here to the read the regulation impact statement ‘Streamlining and modernising agricultural levies legislation.’
Stay up-to-date on the levies legislation modernisation project using the Have Your Say site.
Levies in the red meat industry in the current form is the biggest load of BS. The levies should only apply at the meatworks on kill stock, not on every time a weaner gets sold. Also the owner of the stock should have all say on where the levy money goes, not just to Meat & Livestock Australia. While on the subject of MLA, it should be totally disbanded as its current form. One association cannot represent producer and processor at the same time. It is the best example of total conflict of interest. The producer is trying to sell stock for the best price possible, while the processor is always trying to rip the producer off as much as possible. There should be two totally separate bodies to represent each one.