Bills Digest No. 107 2001-02
Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment Bill
2002
WARNING:
This Digest was prepared for debate. It reflects the legislation as
introduced and does not canvass subsequent amendments. This Digest
does not have any official legal status. Other sources should be
consulted to determine the subsequent official status of the
Bill.
CONTENTS
Passage History
Purpose
Background
Main Provisions
Endnotes
Contact Officer & Copyright Details
Passage History
Interstate Road Transport Charge Amendment
Bill 2002
Date Introduced: 14 February 2002
House: House of Representatives
Portfolio: Transport and Regional Services
Commencement: On Royal Assent
Purpose
To provide for automatic annual adjustments to
registration charges for heavy vehicles (over 4.5 tonnes)
registered under the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme.
Background
Detail on the issue of automatic annual
adjustment to heavy vehicle registration charges is contained in
the Bills Digest for the Road Transport Charges (Australian Capital
Territory) Amendment Bill 2002.
Heavy vehicles that operate solely in
interstate trade and commerce may be registered under the
Federal Interstate Registration Scheme (FIRS) rather than under
State or Territory based registration schemes. The Interstate Road
Transport Charge Amendment Bill 2002 simply provides for
registration charges for FIRS vehicles to be subject to the
same(1) new automatic annual adjustment procedure as
State and Territory registered vehicles. The new procedure is being
introduced under the Road Transport Charges (Australian Capital
Territory) Amendment Bill 2002.
Main
Provisions
Schedule 1
Item 1 deletes existing section
6 of the Interstate Road Transport Charge Act 1985 and
replaces it with a new section 5A and a
new section 6. Existing section 6 allows
regulations to be made to increase or decrease registration charges
by not more than 5% as compared to the previous year.
New section 5A provides for the
annual charges applying to State and Territory registered vehicles
calculated under the new procedure in the Road Transport Charges
(Australian Capital Territory) Amendment Bill 2002 to apply to FIRS
vehicles.
New section 6 will allow
regulations to be made to decrease those registration
charges that would have otherwise applied under new section 5A. The
explanatory memorandum to the Bill states that this is intended to
provide(2)
some flexibility for the Commonwealth,
consistent with that provided to the States and Territories who may
apply their own charges below the national level set out in the
Principal Act.
Item 2 makes a minor
consequential amendment of no policy or financial importance.
Endnotes
-
- Although note new section 6, which allows for lower charges
than the national level set by the Road Transport Charges
(Australian Capital Territory) Amendment Bill 2002.
- Explanatory memorandum, p. 4.
Angus Martyn
12 March 2002
Law and Bills Digest Group
Information and Research Services
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ISSN 1328-8091
© Commonwealth of Australia 2002
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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library,
2002.
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