Canberra, Australia
October 18, 2007
Source: USDA/FAS GAIN report
number: AS7058
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200710/146292725.pdf
Report highlights
On the October 1, 2007, the
Wheat Export Authority changed from an agency under the
Commonwealth Authorities and Corporations Act 1997 to a
statutory commission operating under the Financial
Management and Accountability Act 1997 – the Export Wheat
Commission (EWC).
On the October 1, 2007, the Wheat
Export Authority changed from an agency under the Commonwealth
Authorities and Corporations Act 1997 to a statutory commission
operating under the Financial Management and Accountability Act
1997 – the Export Wheat Commission (EWC).
The EWC’s role is determined by the Wheat Marketing Act 1989
(the Act) and its operations have been funded from three
sources, a $A50 application fee for export consents, a Wheat
Export Charge of $A0.22/tonne of exported wheat and government
grants of $A3 million to supplement the downturn in income due
to the drought affected wheat harvest in 2006-07. The EWC
facilitates the operations of Australia’s legislated wheat
export arrangements and informs Government and growers of
outcomes.
The EWC:
- controls the export of
bulk wheat from Australia;
- monitors the single desk's
performance (currently AWB International) in relation to the
export of wheat and examine and report on the benefits to
growers that result from that performance;
- monitors compliance with
the conditions of export consents issued;
- administers the Non-bulk
Wheat Quality Assurance Scheme.
The EWC consists of a Chairperson
and three to five commissioners who are appointed by the
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for a period of
up to three years On June 21, 2007 Parliament passed the Wheat
Marketing Amendment Bill 2007 which amended the Wheat Marketing
Act 1989 and put into effect the changes to Australia’s wheat
marketing regulations that were announced by the Prime Minister
on May 22, 2007.
The Wheat Marketing Amendment Bill
2007 was given Royal Assent by the Governor General on June 28,
2007, with initial changes affecting the export of wheat in bags
and containers coming into effect on August 27, 2007. These
changes include:
- The extension of the
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s
temporary veto power over non-AWB International Ltd
(AWBI) bulk exports until June 30, 2008;
- The inclusion of the
power for the Minister to change the company that
manages the single desk from March 1, 2008, this power
will sunset on June 30, 2008;
- Improved powers for
the regulator the Export Wheat Commission to request the
provision of information and documents relevant to its
functions from persons it believes have such information
or documents;
- The inclusion of the
power for the Minister to direct the EWC to investigate
matters relating to its functions and pass this
information on to other law enforcement and regulatory
bodies as necessary;
- A range of structural
and governance reforms to the industry regulator based
on the Uhrig Review recommendations (the WEA was
replaced by a statutory commission known as the Export
Wheat Commission from October 1, 2007); and
- The deregulation of
wheat exports in bags and containers and the new quality
assurance requirement to safeguard the reputation of
Australian wheat commenced August 27, 2007.
Source:
http://www.ewc.gov.au/
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