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Regulatory Plan
Regulatory plans provide business operators, business representatives and the public with access to information about changes to Australian Government business regulation. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, like other government agencies that have a responsibility for business regulation is required to publish a regulatory plan on its website in each financial year. The department’s 2008-09 Annual Regulatory Plan contains information about:
- changes to business regulation which occurred during the 2007-08 financial year
- legislative and quasi-legislative action planned for the 2008-09 financial year which could lead to changes to business regulation.
The 2008-09 Annual Regulatory Plan also contains information about legislation and regulations administered by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
What regulation does a regulatory plan cover?
A regulatory plan covers business regulation. This includes primary legislation, subordinate legislation, quasi-regulation or treaties which directly affect business, have a significant indirect effect on business, or restrict competition.
Quasi-regulation refers to rules or arrangements where governments influence businesses to comply, but which do not form part of explicit government regulation. Some examples of quasi-regulation include industry codes of practice, guidance notes and accreditation schemes.
A regulatory plan does not include information about the following:
- regulations of a minor or machinery nature that do not substantially alter existing arrangements
- regulations that involve consideration of specific government purchases
- regulations of a state or self-governing territory that apply in a non-self governing territory
- anticipated activity about which it would be inappropriate to publish information on grounds of confidentiality.
In addition, there may be regulatory activities undertaken during 2008-09 which have not been included in a regulatory plan because they could not be foreseen when the plan was prepared at the start of the financial year.
In view of these exclusions, users should not take a regulatory plan to be a comprehensive source of information on past or likely future changes to business regulation.
How up to date is information in this regulatory plan?
The plan was reviewed and updated in July 2008.
- Past Regulatory Activities 2007-08
PDF [262kb] 
Word [403kb] - Planned Regulatory Activities 2008-09 PDF [256kb] Word [302kb]
