Media Release

36/2009
24 June 2009

Redundant Regulation Gets the Chop

Lindsay Tanner, Minister for Finance and Deregulation today introduced a Bill into the Parliament to repeal around 30 pieces of redundant regulation.

The Statute Stocktake (Regulatory and Other Laws) Bill 2009 includes the removal of redundant and outdated laws such as:

• protection for consumers from price exploitation during the changeover to the GST;
• obligations on digital data service providers to provide services now overtaken by technological advances; and
• the Income Tax (Franking Deficit) Act 1987, which had been superseded by the introduction of the New Business Tax System (Franking Deficit Tax) Act 2002.

Relieving businesses and consumers of the burden of inappropriate, ineffective or unnecessary regulation will build Australia’s productive capacity and create a stronger economy.

Lindsay Tanner said the introduction of this Bill was another step in the Government’s continuous regulatory reform effort.

“This Bill is one part of our wide-ranging deregulation agenda which includes working with the states and territories to deliver a seamless national economy as well as minimising red tape imposed by new and existing Commonwealth regulation.”

In addition to the Bill, up to 200 further pieces of unnecessary subordinate legislation will be removed during 2009. The redundant regulation was identified through a stocktake conducted by Commonwealth Departments in 2008. This was the first review of redundant regulation since the introduction of the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments in 2005.

Lindsay Tanner said: “Leaving outdated and redundant regulation on the Statute books is not just sloppy housekeeping: it raises the regulatory burden for business by making it harder to identify which rules apply. It also increases the risk of businesses being subject to inconsistent or overlapping regulations.”

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