THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
Attorney-General
Minister for Emergency Management
Special Minister of State
Minister for the Public Service and Integrity
SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONG
Minister for Finance and Deregulation
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
MEDIA RELEASE
GOVERNMENT SLASHES RED TAPE WITH REPEAL OF MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND REGULATIONS
Today the Australian Government repealed over 1,000 regulations and other instruments within the Attorney-General's portfolio in a major drive to cut red tape.
Unnecessary regulation causes frustration and imposes costs on business, the community and individuals, said Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC.
The regulations removed by this instrument form part of the more than 12,000 regulations the Government will be repealing this year.
Minister for Finance and Deregulation Penny Wong said the repeal of these unnecessary laws would make things simpler for both businesses and individuals.
Reducing red tape helps Australians businesses be more productive, more efficient and more competitive - ; which will help improve the overall productive capacity of our economy, Senator Wong said.
Regulations repealed include the National Handgun Buyback Regulations 2003, which allowed the Government to pay people for weapons that were outlawed. This program finished in 2004.
Other obscure instruments that have been repealed include marriage regulations that refer to unmarried men and women as spinsters and bachelors.
The oldest of these laws was made in 1967 when Harold Holt was Prime Minister.
The repeals follow on from amendments made by the Legislative Instruments Amendment (Sunsetting Measures) Act 2012, which the Government introduced and passed last year.
The repeal instrument is registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments and takes full effect from today.
Today's step is in addition to the Governments reforms through the COAG Seamless National Economy agenda. The Productivity Commission has estimated just over half of the Governments SNE reforms will save businesses $4 billion each year once fully implemented.
TUESDAY, 9 APRIL 2013
