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Only Australian or Australian-declared (see below) boats are authorized to fish under a fishing permit or statutory fishing right granted by AFMA (Australian Fisheries Management Authority). [51] (...)

[51] AFMA allocates statutory fishing rights for access to the resources of each fishery, in which many fishers have individually tradable quotas (ITQs) or shares of the resource assigned as a proportion of the total allowable catch determined by AFMA each year. Where ITQs are not used, AFMA uses a direct permit system to specify the amount of catch each concession-holder can take in a fishing season (Borthwick, 2012; and OECD, 2013e.).

(...) A foreign boat is not permitted to enter an Australian port unless it is authorized by a port permit granted by AFMA (Australian Fisheries Management Authority). A person must not land fish at an Australian port from a foreign boat unless the Minister responsible for fishing has expressly authorized that person to do so. A foreign-flagged vessel may be declared an Australian vessel for the purposes of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 on application to AFMA, provided that it meets certain criteria. Access for foreign fishing fleets to Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (200 nautical miles) is provided through three agreements. According to a 2013 OECD report, the evolution in the domestic fleet means that no future access for foreign vessels to the Australian EEZ is likely to be granted as Australia no longer has excess fish stocks.

Adjustment assistance has only been used in special circumstances to facilitate the introduction of new fisheries-management arrangements. Where marine reserves create additional requirements for fishing-reduction efforts beyond that required for achieving fisheries management objectives, Government-funded adjustment assistance/compensation may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Under the Caring for our Country programme (section 4.2.2.2), a programme of the previous Government, support has been available to improve management practices in aquaculture. A decline in annual expenditure under the Fisheries Structural Adjustment Program (terminated in June 2010) has seen the estimated effective rates of combined assistance for fisheries decrease from a high of 12% (2006/07) to 3.3% (2011/12). While budgetary assistance under the industry specific Fisheries Structural Adjustment Program has dropped progressively by 89.2% since 2008/09 to $A 1.8 million (2010/11), fishing industry R&D funding remained stable. Following the announcement of the final network of new marine reserves in June 2012, around $A 100 million of fisheries adjustment assistance funding was to assist the commercial fishing industry adjust to the introduction of the new marine reserves. The package was to include: transitional business assistance in the form of payments to fishing businesses; competitive grants to improve the long-term sustainability of fisheries displaced by the marine reserves; and reduction of commercial fishing through the purchase of individual fisher's entitlements or quota units in fisheries, where appropriate, up to the level of production displaced by the new marine reserves. However, consistent with its commitment for a more competitive and sustainable fisheries sector, the current Government will review the management plans for the Commonwealth marine reserves announced in November 2012. It intends to appoint a scientific review panel and bioregional advisory panels to provide advice on future marine reserve-management arrangements. Until the results of the review are finalised, any fisheries' compensation has been placed on hold

During the review period, Australia continued its strong action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Its National Fisheries Compliance Strategy 2010-15 outlines the objectives that fisheries agencies will pursue to promote voluntary compliance and create effective deterrence to illegal fishing activities. Australia is also working with its northern neighbours to reduce IUU fishing and improve fisheries management and governance. Between 2005/06 and 2013/14, the number of illegal fishing vessels apprehended declined by 93%.

Australia ratified both the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources of the South Pacific Ocean in March 2012 (entry in force June 2012 and August 2012 respectively), and was in the process of ratifying the Food and Agriculture Organization Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Agreement (signed on 27 April 2010) at end-2014. Other activities during the review period included participating in bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, and continued engagement with northern neighbours as part of the Regional Plan of Action to promote responsible fishing practices and combat IUU fishing in the Southeast Asian region.

A White Paper on the Reform of Australia's Tax System, due to be completed by the end of 2015, is to provide a longer term approach to tax reform that is consistent with the Government's core principles of fairness and simplicity. Against this background, the Government has already delivered a large number of other key tax priorities, including: repealing the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT) (September 2014) and the carbon pricing mechanism (July 2014); (...)

Over the review period the key focus of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development has involved implementation of the former Government's National Aviation Policy White Paper (released in 2009 ) and implementation of the Coalition's Policy for Aviation (released in 2013 ). The latter incorporates various measures designed to support the growth of the aviation industry, including: abolition of the carbon tax (sections 1.4.1, 3.4.1.2, and 4.3), (...)

(…) As indicated, the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) conducts formal price surveillance on aviation and airport services and facilities, fuel, electricity, telecommunications, postal services, and container stevedoring. Since 2011 only one new set of price monitoring has commenced; more specifically, on 24 February 2014, the Commonwealth Government directed the ACCC to monitor prices, costs and profits to assess the general effect of the carbon tax scheme in preparation for the carbon tax repeal in July 2014 (sections 3.4.1.3, 4.2.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.3.2.1.3).

Australia's 2013 annual Tax Expenditures Statement (TES) identifies 355 (337 in 2009) tax expenditures by the Commonwealth Government to benefit a specified activity or class of taxpayer: 108 pertain directly to business income, 25 to commodities (e.g. fuel, alcohol, beer, wine, and tobacco) and other goods (e.g. luxury cars) or broadcasting activities, 13 to natural resources, 29 to GST, and eight to the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (2012/13, 2013/14), which was repealed on 1 July 2014. These tax expenditures are available to domestic and foreign firms; according to the authorities very few tax expenditures relate directly to production and/or trade of goods and/or services. (…)

(...) In 2014/15, the CPI is expected to remain well contained due to moderate wage pressures helping to keep unit labour costs down and the repeal of the carbon tax (sections 1.4.1, 3.4.1.2, 4.3.1, and 4.3.2) which is likely to reduce the headline CPI by three-quarters of a percentage point by June 2015.