Red meat levy-payer register

The formation of a levy-payer register for the red meat industry has been a topic of discussion for some time.  Here we take a closer look at how the red meat levy-payer register will be implemented.

What is a levy-payer register?

​​A levy payer register is a database of the details of individuals and organisations who pay red meat industry-specific transaction levies.

In 2018, the Federal Government passed legislation that gives the 15 rural research and development corporations (RDCs) the ability to establish levy-payer registers, if they choose. Such a register allows the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to provide levy payer information to RDCs and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – ultimately allowing RDCs to know who their levy-payers are to allow for enhanced engagement with them.

What work has MLA done on a levy-payer register?

Since the introduction of the legislation, MLA has been engaging with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, including being updated about the development of industry levy payer registers for other sectors.

MLA has consulted with levy collection agents / the trade sector who submit levy transaction returns and is now advanced in progressing a similar levy-payer register, which will commence in July 2021 (with levy files due 28 September for July transactions).

What are the next steps in establishing a red meat levy-payer register?

Levy collection agents can contact DAFF's Levies Revenue Service (LRS) with technical questions on the data and file  requirements.

MLA can also assist agents to understand what is required to receive and send data to the LRS. 

Who will have access to the register and what will it be used for?

The legislation around who can access information in the register and what that can be used for is very specific.

As it is currently drafted in the legislation, ‘eligible recipients’ of levy payer information are the RDCs (in this case MLA) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who administers the database where the information is stored, cannot use the data.

The ABS cannot establish a levy payer register but it can seek access to the data to perform any of its functions.

Once established, an RDC can use the levy payer information from their register for the following purposes:

• to maintain a register of who has paid a levy and/or charge
• to maintain a register of persons eligible to vote in a poll conducted by, or on behalf of, the RDC
• to make public information of a statistical nature
• in performing its functions under a law of the Commonwealth or under a contract or other agreement with the Commonwealth
• to determine whether a person is or remains eligible to be a member of the RDC.

Access to the levy payer information by a third party (that is anyone outside of MLA) can only occur with the approval of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

In making an approval, the Secretary must take into account whether the proposed use of levy payer information aligns with the above permitted uses allowed under the legislation.

Levy payer registers have been created to allow RDCs to consult with their levy payers to help them deliver the functions and services for which they were established.  The RDCs functions are set out in the legislation that establishes them and in statutory funding agreements with the Commonwealth.  As such, levy payer information may not be used for purposes such as:

• agri-political activities
• increasing the membership of an industry representative body
• an activity which would give a commercial advantage to a participant in the industry
• an activity unrelated to the function of the RDC.

For more information around who can access a levy-payer register and what the information should be used for, the Department has developed guidance for RDCs here.

Without a register, how does MLA currently communicate with levy-payers?

MLA has the ability to communicate in a sophisticated way with levy payers and stakeholders.

For example, MLA communicates key information with thousands of levy payers each week through various targeted e-newsletters and publications.  Our major weekly e-newsletters, Prices & Markets and Friday Feedback, currently have approximately 30,000 subscribers each.  We have dedicated e-newsletters promoting the latest information around Meat Standards Australia (MSA), the feedlot industry, the goat industry, our integrity systems and our global markets.  These all provide specific content direct to a targeted audience.

We also produce Feedback magazine, which is distributed to approximately 50,000 producers and stakeholders. This continues to be a widely read and highly regarded publication amongst producers.

MLA also has several social media channels, across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, with MLA’s marketing brands (Australian Beef, Australian Lamb, Australian Good Meat) having their own social channels promoting information at consumers and the broader community.

When it comes to MLA’s formal governance processes, we also for example, have the Levies Notice process as the way that MLA members inform us about the amount of levies paid during the previous financial year. This information, volunteered by members is used as the basis for determining full voting entitlements at MLA’s AGM.

MLA is continuously looking at new ways to engage with red meat producers and the supply chain.  For example, MLA launched a new R&D Roundup e-newsletter in 2020 that delivers short, sharp R&D updates directly to inboxes in the first week of each month.  The e-newsletter is grouped across various categories including grassfed and grainfed cattle, sheep and lambs, and goats, making it easier for readers to select the information most important to them.

MLA also launched two new podcasts in March 2020 – the Feedback Podcast, and On The Ground.

When established, the red meat levy-payer register will offer another dataset to MLA (on top of existing information) to further improve collaboration and communication with red meat producers.

Is there a timeframe for a functional red meat levy-payer register?

The levy payer register will commence for transactions in July 2021. The return to DAFF for these transactions is due by 28 September 2021, however agents should nsure they are collecting all required data on their vendors from 1 July 2021.