Senate debates

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Questions on Notice

Financial Management and Accountability (Question No. 2468)

Photo of David BushbyDavid Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, upon notice, 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.

Photo of Stephen ConroyStephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | | Hansard source

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Given the very broad nature of the question, providing an answer would cause an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(2) Given the very broad nature of the question, providing an answer would cause an unreasonable diversion of resources.

(3) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Department of Finance and Deregulation. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(4) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Department of Finance and Deregulation. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(5) Annual Regulatory Plans are managed within the Department of Finance and Deregulation. Please refer to the response provided by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation to question 2469.

(6) The following link details the current guidance on cost recovery:

http://www.finance.gov.au/financial-framework/financial-management-policy-guidance/cost-recovery.html.

The department imposes cost-recovery schemes on the non-government sector.

(a) The following are the department's (including Portfolio Agencies) cost recovery programs:

DSEWPaC cost recovery programs:

  (i) Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme

  (ii) Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000

  (iii) Hazardous Waste Permits

  (iv) Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Program

  (v) Sea Dumping Permit Application Fees

  (vi) Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Scheme

  (vii) Wildlife Trade Permits

Portfolio Agency cost recovery programs:

  (viii) Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority – permit applications

  (ix) Director of National Parks – park use, educational services and parking fees

  (x) Bureau of Meteorology - Climate, Water, and Weather services and products;

Participates in collaborative research projects; Specific cost recovered services for areas such as Aviation, Defence and some commercial services.

  (xi) Sydney Harbour Federation Trust - Tours; Development Applications; Liquor Licensing Fees

(b) The following fees are being currently imposed:

  (i) Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme

  (ii) Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000

  (iii) Hazardous Waste Permits

  (iv) Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Program

A licence (or exemption) must be held by any person or entity from all sectors of the community wishing to import, export or manufacture substances regulated. A cost recovery levy (or fee for service) of $165/tonne imported is paid quarterly.

  (v) Sea Dumping Permit Application Fees

  The fee for an application to vary a permit is $860.

  (vi) Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Scheme

  (vii) Wildlife Trade Permits

viii) Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

The GBRMPA administers permits and other permission structures under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003, the Sea Installations Act 1987, the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981, and the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Regulations 1983. Permits are required for anyone (including individuals, companies, incorporated bodies and government departments and agencies) intending to conduct activities in the GBRMP which require permission under any of the pieces of legislation that the GBRMPA administers. Fees are applied for the administration of permits.

Fees collected by the GBRMPA in relation to permits (and all other permission structures) range from $51 (administrative fee) to $105,290 (assessment of an application requiring an Environment Impact Statement). (NOTE: 2012 Schedule of Fees provided below)

Permit Application Assessment Fees 2012

Part 1: Fees for assessments in respect of applications for permission

Part 2: Fees for other applications and requests

  (ix) Director of National Parks

  The Director of National Parks imposes a cost-recovery scheme on the non-government sector. This scheme is for "Park Use, Educational Services and Parking Fees".

The following fees are incorporated in this cost recovery scheme:

1. Visitor Management – Park Use Fee

  Incorporates expenses associated with park use, camping and vehicle permit issue fee for reserve entry.

  The fees currently imposed range from $2.50 - $65 depending on the Park location, age of person entering the park and length of stay in the Park.

2. Visitor Management – Use of educational services

  Expenses associated with providing educational services

  The fees currently imposed range from $75-$200 per group depending on the location utilised, the time of use and the provider of the education services.

3. Visitor Management Parking

  Expenses associated with regulating vehicle parking

  The fees currently imposed range from $2.5 - $10 depending on how long a vehicle is parked.

  (x) Bureau of Meteorology

  Climate, Water, and Weather services and products;

  Participates in collaborative research projects; and

  Specific cost recovered services for areas such as Aviation, Defence and some commercial services.

In addition to appropriation funded public information services, the Bureau provides enhanced weather and climate information to meet residual public needs. The current fees for services are as set out below:

Notes:

Category 1 (Cat 1) relates to requests where the details are fully specified by the requestor.

Category 2 (Cat 2) relates to requests where additional assistance is required to specify the details required.

These charging rates are current as of 21 November 2012.

For annual subscriptions, services range from Level 1 for the delivery of public products on a managed delivery platform to Level 5 for the provision of complex and custom products. The fee at each level has been standardised to reflect the per product production effort required.

Otherwise the Bureau's cost recovered services (non-commercial) are enhanced information services pursuant to the Australian Government Cost Recovery Guidelines. Fees for commercial services are competitively neutral and set in accordance with the Australian Government Competitive Neutrality Guidelines for Managers.

The Bureau's cost recovered services are demand driven and optional for all users. A significant proportion of the total is services to the aviation industry.

  (xi) Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

(c) Fee increases since August 2010:

  (i) Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme

No fee increase

  (ii) Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000

No fee increases

  (iii) Hazardous Waste Permits

No fee increases

  (iv) Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Program

No fee increases. Fees remained the same since 2005. New fee determinations are scheduled for January 2013, though these are yet to be confirmed.

  (v) Sea Dumping Permit Application Fees

Old fees:

The fee for an application to vary a permit was $500 ($360 increase).

  (vi) Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Scheme

No fee increase

  (vii) Wildlife Trade Permits

No fee increase

  (viii) Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

GBRMPA permit fees are increased annually in line with increases in the CPI. Recent increases include:

01 January 2011 – 2.56%

01 January 2012 – 3.26%

  (ix) Director of National Parks

Fee increases since August 2010:

Visitor Management – Park Use Fee

At August 2010 the range of fees imposes was $2-$65.

Visitor Management – Use of educational services

At August 2010 the range of fees imposes was $50-$100.

Visitor Management Parking

At August 2010 the range of fees imposes was $1-$8.

  (x) Bureau of Meteorology

Change between the current fees (2012/13) and those for August 2010 (2010/11) are set out below.

Notes:

The fee changes resulted from cost recovery reviews of the subject operations.

Climate Data Service fees for 2010/11 had remained unchanged since 2008. Data product definitions have since been updated with some previously paid services becoming public information and others combined into single subscriptions.

Registered User Service fees for 2010/11 had remained unchanged since 1997.

Other services are bespoke and fees are determined by applying the prevailing labour rates and item costs, where appropriate, to the resources required for the service.

  (xi) Sydney Harbour Federation Trust