MEAT EXPORT (ADDITIONAL CHARGE).

No. 33 of 1955.

An Act to impose an Additional Charge upon the Export of certain Meat to the United Kingdom.

[Assented to 16th June, 1955.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Meat Export (Additional Charge) Act 1955.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

Definitions.

3. In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—

“declared meat” means meat of a kind or class declared by the Minister, by instrument in writing, on the recommendation of the Board, to be declared meat for the purposes of this Act;

“edible offal” means any edible portion, other than the flesh, of cattle or sheep;

“excess payment”, in relation to a year, means the amount by which deficiency payments by the Board under section five of the Meat Agreement (Deficiency Payments) Act 1955 in respect of that year, together with expenses (including interest charges) incurred by the Board in connexion with those payments, exceed payments by the Government of the United Kingdom to the Government of the Commonwealth under the Meat Agreement referred to in that Act, in respect of that year;

“meat” means beef, veal, mutton, lamb and edible offal, but does not include canned meat;

“the Board” means the Australian Meat Board constituted under the Meat Export Control Act 1935-1953;

“year” means a period of twelve months ending on the thirtieth day of September.

Additional charge on export of certain meat.

4.—(1.) For the purpose of making good amounts by which deficiency payments by the Board under section five of the Meat Agreement (Deficiency Payments) Act 1955, together with expenses (including interest charges) incurred by the Board in connexion with those payments, exceed payments by the Government of the

United Kingdom to the Government of the Commonwealth under the Meat Agreement referred to in that Act, a charge, in addition to the charge imposed by the Meat Export Charge Act 1935-1954, is, subject to this section, imposed and shall be levied and paid on declared meat exported from the Commonwealth to the United Kingdom.

(2.) The rate or rates of the additional charge shall be fixed from time to time by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette, and different rates of the additional charge may be fixed for different kinds or classes of declared meat.

(3.) The additional charge is payable only on declared meat exported during such periods as are fixed from time to time by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette.

(4.) The Minister shall, as far as he considers it practicable to do so, exercise his powers under this section in such a way that the amount of the excess payment in respect of a year will be made good by the end of the succeeding year.

(5.) The Board shall, from time to time, make recommendations to the Minister as to the rates and periods of operation of the additional charge necessary, in the opinion of the Board, to ensure that the amount of the excess payment in respect of a year will be made good by the end of the succeeding year, and the Minister shall, in exercising his powers to fix rates and periods of operation of the additional charge, take those recommendations into consideration.

Payments to be made to specified officers.

5. All moneys payable under this Act shall be paid, on or before the entry of the declared meat for export, to such officers in the respective States, or in the Northern Territory of Australia, as the Minister specifies.