Mr VAILE (Trade) (10:07 AM) —by leave—I move government amendments Nos 1 to 34:

(1) Schedule 4, page 17 (lines 11 to 22), omit the definition of growers' organisation , substitute:

growers' organisation means:

(a) in relation to grain harvested from triticale—the organisation known as the Triticale Grain Association of Australia or such other organisation as is prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph; and

(b) in relation to any grain other than grain harvested from triticale—the organisation known as the Grains Council of Australia or such other organisation as is prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph.

[Clause 1 of Schedule 4 (coarse grains)—definition of growers' organisation]

(2) Schedule 4, page 17 (line 24), omit "$50", substitute "$25".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 4 (coarse grains)—definition of leviable amount]

(3) Schedule 4, page 20 (line 26), omit "5%", substitute "3%".

[Clause 6 of Schedule 4 (coarse grains)—maximum rate of levy]

(4) Schedule 4, page 20 (line 30), omit "5%", substitute "3%".

[Clause 6 of Schedule 4 (coarse grains)—maximum rate of levy]

(5) Schedule 9, page 44 (lines 10 and 11), omit "dried currant grapes, dried sultana grapes or dried raisin grapes", substitute "dried grapes".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 9 (dried fruits)—definition of dried vine fruits]

(6) Schedule 9, page 44 (lines 13 to 18), omit paragraph (a) of the definition of R&D authority .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 9 (dried fruits)—definition of R&D authority]

(7) Schedule 9, page 45 (line 21), omit "$10.00", substitute "$15.00".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 9 (dried fruits)—maximum rate of levy on dried vine fruits]

(8) Schedule 9, page 45 (line 22), omit "$30.00", substitute "$50.00".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 9 (dried fruits)—maximum rate of levy on dried tree fruits]

(9) Schedule 12, page 53 (line 11), omit "$50", substitute "$25".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 12 (grain legumes)—definition of leviable amount]

(10) Schedule 13, page 58 (lines 17 to 22), omit paragraph (a) of the definition of representative organisation .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 13 (grapes)—definition of representative organisation]

(11) Schedule 14, page 62 (lines 9 and 10), omit "Federal Council of Australian Apiarists' Associations", substitute "Australian Honey Bee Industry Council".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 14 (honey)—definition of producers' organisation]

(12) Schedule 14, page 62 (lines 14 to 19), omit paragraph (a) of the definition of R&D authority .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 14 (honey)—definition of R&D authority]

(13) Schedule 14, page 64 (line 23), omit "1.80 cents", substitute "0.00 cent".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—operative rate of levy]

(14) Schedule 14, page 64 (line 27), omit "0.25 cent", substitute "0.75 cent".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—operative rate of levy]

(15) Schedule 14, page 64 (line 28), omit "0.75 cent", substitute "1.50 cents".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—maximum rate of levy]

(16) Schedule 14, page 65 (line 1), omit "1.80 cents", substitute "0.00 cent".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—operative rate of levy]

(17) Schedule 14, page 65 (line 5), omit "0.25 cent", substitute "0.75 cent".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—operative rate of levy]

(18) Schedule 14, page 65 (line 6), omit "0.75 cent", substitute "1.50 cents".

[Clause 4 of Schedule 14 (honey)—maximum rate of levy]

(19) Schedule 16, page 75 (line 14), omit "producer of the chickens", substitute "proprietor of the hatchery where the chickens are hatched".

[Clause 5 of Schedule 16 (laying chickens)—payer of levy]

(20) Schedule 19, page 87 (lines 14 to 19), omit paragraph (a) of the definition of R&D authority .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 19 (meat chickens)—definition of R&D authority]

(21) Schedule 19, page 88 (lines 3 to 10), omit clause 2.

[Clause 2 of Schedule 19 (meat chickens)—meaning of meat chicken]

(22) Schedule 19, page 89 (line 17), after "Federation", insert "Incorporated".

[Clause 6 of Schedule 19 (meat chickens)—regulations]

(23) Schedule 19, page 89 (line 22), after "Federation", insert "Incorporated".

[Clause 6 of Schedule 19 (meat chickens)—regulations]

(24) Schedule 20, page 91 (line 11), omit "$50", substitute "$25".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 20 (oilseeds)—definition of leviable amount]

(25) Schedule 21, page 96 (before line 7), before the definition of leviable seed , insert:

growers' organisation means the organisation known as the Grains Council of Australia or such other organisation as is prescribed for the purposes of this definition.

[Clause 1 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—definition]

(26) Schedule 21, page 96 (line 7), omit "specified cultivar", substitute "species specified in the table in subclause 5(1)".

[Clause 1 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—definition of leviable seed]

(27) Schedule 21, page 96 (lines 8 to 11), omit the definition of specified cultivar .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—definition]

(28) Schedule 21, page 96 (line 20), omit "of a cultivar", substitute "species".

[Clause 3 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—rate of levy]

(29) Schedule 21, page 97 (line 2), omit "cultivars", substitute "species".

Note: The heading to clause 5 of Schedule 21 (page 97, line 1) is altered by omitting "cultivars " and substituting "species ".

[Clause 5 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—table of pasture seeds]

(30) Schedule 21, pages 97 to 102 (table), omit the table, substitute:

[Clause 5 of Schedule 21 (pasture seeds)—table of pasture seeds]

(31) Schedule 22, page 104 (lines 11 to 16), omit paragraph (a) of the definition of R&D authority .

[Clause 1 of Schedule 22 (pig slaughter)—definition of R&D authority]

(32) Schedule 25, page 116 (before line 7), before the definition of value , insert:

growers' organisation means the organisation known as the Grains Council of Australia or such other organisation as is prescribed for the purposes of this definition.

[Clause 1 of Schedule 25 (wheat)—definition]

(33) Schedule 25, page 117 (line 19), omit "5%", substitute "3%".

[Clause 5 of Schedule 25 (wheat)—rate of levy]

(34) Schedule 25, page 117 (lines 28 and 29), omit "Grains Council of Australia", substitute "growers' organisation".

[Clause 7 of Schedule 25 (wheat)—regulations]

The purpose of these amendments is to reflect changes in industry, respond to the industry requests to increase the maximum charge rate on the export of honey and introduce minor technical amendments to improve the legislation. Amendments to the schedules covering coarse grains, grain legumes, oilseeds, pasture seed and wheat are intended to introduce consistency across the grains industries in relation to the definitions of growers' organisations and the annual levy liability threshold.

The maximum levy rate for leviable coarse grains and wheat will be reduced from five per cent to three per cent to maintain consistency with the maximum rates for grain legumes and oilseeds and to take account of industry changes. In the case of wheat, this change reflects the cessation from 1 July 1999 of the Wheat Industry Fund component of the wheat levy, which was two per cent of the maximum five per cent levy rate. For coarse grains the change corrects an anomaly which arose when coarse grains were changed to an ad valorem rate and the maximum levy rate was set at the same level as for wheat rather than at the more relevant figure of three per cent, which applied to other research only levies.

The Dried Fruits Research and Development Council and the Australian Dried Fruits Association Inc., the peak industry body, have requested that the maximum levy rates for dried vine fruits be increased from $10 to $15 per tonne and from $30 to $50 per tonne for dried tree fruits, and that the definition of dried vine fruits be extended to include new grape varieties and existing table grape varieties which are increasingly being dried, processed and marketed. The operative levy rate is currently set at the same level as the maximum levy rate. Therefore, there would be no scope to meet industry's request for an increase in the operative levy rate in the absence of this amendment.

The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, supported by the Federal Council of Australian Apiarists Associations and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, has requested that the maximum levy rates for the research component of the sale of honey and on honey used in the production of other goods be increased. Again, the operative levy rate is currently set at the same level as the maximum levy rate, and there is no scope for an increase in the operative levy rate in the absence of this amendment.

The industry has also requested that the operative levy rates applying to the research component be amended to reflect the fact that these have been set at 0.75c per kilogram by regulation since 1998. The industry has requested that the operative levy rate applying to the marketing component of the sale of honey and on honey used in the production of other goods be amended to reflect the fact that these have been set at zero by regulation since 1995.

Increasing the maximum rates for dried fruit and honey at this time will allow operative rates to be increased without the need for further amendment to this legislation in the foreseeable future. However, any operative rate increase will be through regulatory change and thus subject to scrutiny by parliament. The increases in the maximum levy rates do not have any direct financial implications for Commonwealth funding at this time.

In line with the aim of the PILA legislation to improve the efficiency of the administration of levies and charges, the process for making changes to the levy on pasture seeds will be simplified by amending clause 5 of schedule 21 so that only nominated species, rather than cultivars, should be included in the list of leviable seeds. All cultivars of a species are subject to the same rate of pasture seed levy. This change, which has been requested by the relevant growers organisation, the Grains Council of Australia, will remove the need for keeping the cultivar list up to date, which is a time consuming task for the industry.

Other minor policy changes include amending the definition of who pays the levy on laying chickens to reflect the fact that the owner of the hatchery is responsible for the payment of the levy and repealing a redundant definition of meat chickens and amending references to the Australian Chicken Meat Federation to reflect the fact that this organisation is an incorporated body.

Amendments agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Nehl) —The question now is that the bill be reported to the House with amendments.

Question resolved in the affirmative.