Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia

Agriculture Legislation Amendment (Modernising Administrative Processes) Act 2024

No. 28, 2024

An Act to amend the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 and to repeal the Rural Adjustment Act 1992, and for related purposes

[Assented to 30 May 2024]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1 Short title

This Act is the Agriculture Legislation Amendment (Modernising Administrative Processes) Act 2024.

2 Commencement

(1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. The whole of this Act	The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.	31 May 2024

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3 Schedules

Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989

Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989

1 Section 129

Repeal the section, substitute:

129 When Selection Committees abolished

(1) A Selection Committee is abolished by force of this subsection at the later of the following times:

(a) when the term of office of the Presiding Member in which the Selection Committee was established ends (disregarding any term for which the Presiding member is reappointed);

(b) if, when that term ends, the Selection Committee is part way through a selection process—when that selection process is complete.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), a selection process is complete as soon as all appointments to which the selection process relates have been made.

2 Paragraph 130(2)(a)

Omit “placed in a newspaper that circulates throughout Australia”, substitute “placed in a publication, or published on a website, that it considers appropriate”.

3 Paragraph 131(4)(a)

Omit “listed within the previous 12 months”, substitute “included on a list made within the previous 18 months”.

4 After subsection 141(1)

Insert:

(1AAA) Subsection (1) does not apply if the Selection Committee (if any) for the R&D Corporation did not conduct any operations during the immediately preceding financial year.

5 Section 142

Repeal the section.

6 Application provision—when Selection Committees abolished

(1) The amendment of section 129 of the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 made by this Schedule applies in relation to a Selection Committee in existence (disregarding that amendment) on or after the day this Schedule commences, whether the Selection Committee was established before, on or after that day.

(2) If subitem (1) would otherwise have the effect that a Selection Committee is abolished before the day this Schedule commences, the Selection Committee is instead abolished at the start of that day.

7 Application provision—advertisements inviting nominations of persons for appointment

The amendment of paragraph 130(2)(a) of the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 made by this Schedule applies in relation to the inviting of nominations on or after the day this Schedule commences.

8 Application provision—listing of persons suitable for nomination

The amendment of paragraph 131(4)(a) of the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 made by this Schedule applies in relation to the making of a nomination on or after the day this Schedule commences, whether a person was listed before, on or after that day.

Schedule 2—Repeal of the Rural Adjustment Act 1992

Part 1—Repeal

Rural Adjustment Act 1992

1 The whole of the Act

Repeal the Act.

2 Transitional provision—transfer of records and documents of National Rural Advisory Council to the Department

(1) This item applies to any records or documents that were in the possession of the National Rural Advisory Council immediately before the commencement of this item.

(2) The records and documents are to be transferred to the Department after the commencement of this item.

Note: The records and documents transferred are Commonwealth records for the purposes of the Archives Act 1983.

Part 2—Consequential amendments

Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997

3 Paragraph 18(b)

Omit “1992;”, substitute “1992.”.

4 Paragraph 18(d)

Repeal the paragraph.

5 Subsections 19(7) and 20(4)

Repeal the subsections (not including the notes).

6 Section 49 (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

49 Appropriations for the purposes of the Natural Resources Management (Financial Assistance) Act 1992

7 Subsections 49(4) and (5)

Repeal the subsections.

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 28 February 2024

Senate on 21 March 2024]