✦ Plain-English Summary

Export Market Development Grants Legislation Amendment 2020

What it does

This bill updates the rules around how export grants are managed by Austrade (the government agency that helps Australian businesses sell overseas). It clarifies what counts as a "grant" in official documents and adjusts who can make decisions about these grants—allowing senior staff to handle some decisions instead of requiring the Minister every time.

Why it matters

For small and medium-sized Australian exporters, this could speed up grant decisions since they won't always need ministerial approval. The changes are mainly housekeeping to make the system clearer and more efficient.

Key details

• Who decides what: The Minister can now delegate more of their grant-related powers to Austrade's CEO and senior staff, which should reduce bottlenecks
• Timeline: Most changes kick in within 6 months of the bill becoming law, though some took effect immediately
• What stays protected: The Minister keeps direct control over certain sensitive decisions (sections 65 and 66), so there are still checks on the system

Official Description

Amends the: Export Market Development Grants Act 1997 to restructure the export market development grants program which provides funding assistance to Australian small and medium enterprise exporters for their export-related marketing expenses; and Australian Trade and Investment Commission Act 1985 to enable decision-making powers of the Chief Executive Officer to be delegated to Australian Public Service employees of a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.

Committee Referrals

Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee; Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

No votes yet.

No votes were recorded for this bill.