Regulatory Reform Omnibus

It will also introduce a six-month grace period for plant breeders to renew their Plant Breeder Rights where they are late in paying the annual renewal fee. Under the current settings these rights are automatically lost if the fee is paid late, and the plant breeder must apply again to get them back. We know that life and business get hectic sometimes. This change means that plant breeders won't accidently lose valuable rights just because they missed a renewal payment deadline.

Beyond intellectual property, the Bill will remove the mandatory 30 day appeal period for importers who advise they don't intend to appeal a negative preliminary decision by the Anti-Dumping Commissioner for a partial refund as part of the duty assessment process. This change will allow importers to receive faster refunds when they advise that they don't intend to appeal the decision. The Commissioner's preliminary decision is subject to being finalised by the Minister. When the decision is finalised, the importer can be paid the refund they are entitled to. However, even when an importer has

The Bill will make it easier for people who are 'nominees' under the social security law to cancel their nominee arrangements by removing the requirement to cancel in writing. Nominees are appointed to assist social security, family assistance and paid parental leave recipients who need help interacting with Services Australia. Currently, when nominees want to cancel their nominee appointment they must notify Services Australia in writing, even if they've already said they want to cancel their appointment over the phone. This adds administrative burden and can cause delays in the cancellatio

The Bill will also make it easier for recipients of some Commonwealth pensions to comply with their Proof of Life obligations and reduce duplication of effort by Services Australia. These obligations apply to Australians aged 80 years or over who have been away from Australia for at least two continuous years. These amendments will allow Services Australia, in some cases, to rely instead on information it has already collected from other places. This is a significant change that will reduce the regulatory burden not just on elderly pensioners but also on Australia's consular officials, who oft

The bill also improves the operation of the Healthcare Identifiers Act. It allows date of death information to be disclosed in appropriate circumstances to healthcare providers and health administration entities. That allows patient records to be closed properly, and it avoids unnecessary work and cost. This is one of those areas where the law needs to catch up with ordinary reality. If a healthcare provider is trying to maintain accurate records, the system should not force them into a scavenger hunt.

Under the Superannuation Act, a person may obtain CSCri membership if they are a PSSAP member and they request access in accordance with Rule 3.6.1 of the Superannuation (PSSAP) Trust Deed (the PSSAP Trust Deed). A person is a PSSAP member if they are eligible for membership of PSSAP under section 13 of the Superannuation Act and, if PSSAP is not the person’s mandated fund, they make a choice to become a member of PSSAP under subsection 14(2) of the Superannuation Act. The amendments create a pathway that permits certain former ADF members to request access to CSCri. A former ADF member is an

I also note the comments made by the opposition on schedule 2, part 4. The problem tackled by this amendment is not that these notifications are issued; it is a foundational principle that people must be notified when they have a case to answer. The problem is the mandatory nature of these notices. This mandatory obligation means that even people who play no part in a complaint, who are subject to no legal consequences and who have no procedural avenue to respond must receive these notices. The commission estimates that it spends approximately 450 hours per year administering adverse allegati