New Laws for a New Year

As a new employee at Macrossan & Amiet I have been asked to write about recent legislative changes that coincide with the commencement of my employment in 2013.

Changes to Boat Licensing
Those who are interested in boating or have children who might wish to obtain a boat licence will find the following changes to licensing of interest. As of January 2013, if you are a boat licence applicant seeking a
licence to operate recreational boats you will need to meet the following criteria:
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must have held a limited recreational marine driver licence for at least one year.
• The completion, under the supervision of an open recreational marine licence holder, of a range of boating
tasks required in an advanced BoatSafe workbook.
• The completion of an advanced BoatSafe training course focussing on specific knowledge required to operate
larger recreational boats.

Holders of a recreational marine driver licence issued
prior to 1 January 2013 and those with a master’s certificate for a commercial or fishing ship will continue to be able to operate recreational vessels without further requirements. For more information go to the Maritime Safety Queensland website www.msq.qld.gov.au.

Changes to Liquor and Gaming Laws
If you are involved in the gaming industry, the Gaming Machine Act 1991 has been amended as part of the State Government’s red tape reduction initiative. As of 11 September 2012, the following changes will be implemented:

1. Gaming employees will no longer need to hold a gaming licence. Prior to the amendments it was a requirement that all gaming employees hold a licence and renew it every five years at a cost of $215. Now, gaming staff can carry out their duties such as opening machines providing they hold a current Responsible Service of Gambling certificate.
2. The amendments to the Gaming Machine Act 1991 allow minors to work on the gaming floor, provided that they
hold a current Responsible Service of Gambling certificate.
3. Liquor and gaming licence applications will no longer need to be advertised in the Government Gazette and local newspapers. This will save up to $1,500. The biggest change in this area is that from 1 January 2013, the Liquor and Gaming Commission will be replaced by a single Commissioner, Mr David Ford. This means that the following responsibilities privy to the Commission regarding liquor and gaming will now vest in a single
Commissioner:

• Granting, cancelling and suspending licences.
• Determining operational conditions such as the permitted hours of gaming at sites.
• Administrative approvals such as approving applications to increase the number of gaming
machines that can be operated by licensees.
• Granting, suspending, cancelling and imposing conditions regarding liquor licences.
• Considering applications for the extension of trading hours and varying the conditions of certain licences.
This is a move to streamline approvals, speed up the licensing process and eliminate unnecessary costs and duplications.

Heavy Vehicle Regulatory Reform
Those involved in the trucking industry should be aware that from 21 January 2013 the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR)
will be introduced to administer a national body of law to govern the regulation of all vehicles over 4.5 tonnes. It is essentially a onestop-shop providing a consistent regulatory framework on matters such as registration, mass loading, fatigue management and compliance and enforcement.
Previously, interstate heavy vehicle operators had to understand and comply with different sets of laws and rules for each State and Territory, creating confusion and impacting upon productivity and efficiency. However with the introduction of a single regulation entity to administer the national heavy vehicle laws, it creates an element of consistency. The establishment of the NHVR will reduce the regulatory burden on the trucking industry making it
easier for businesses and workers to cross state borders.

The introduction of the NHVR will hopefully facilitate better safety outcomes, creating consistent fatigue management rules, a better understanding of the rules leading to greater compliance and more consistent on-road enforcement.