Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 1:27:31 to 1:32:03
Debate over the cost recovery of the MICoR database and whether industry should bear the full cost of a system used by both exporters and government agencies.
Topics: Export cost recovery, Trade policy
Speakers: Speaker 5, Tina Hutcherson, Speaker 19, Speaker 3, Amanda Charas, Ms. Amanda Charas, Ms. Tina Hutcherson
>> So my is a key um system um it's the manual um of importing country requirements. So it is a key system that explains for exporters and the department what the various requirements of trading partners are for a commodity to a particular country. So it's accessed regularly um by exporters and by the department. It's a fundamental piece of digital infrastructure that's critical to um you know people having access to the information they need to export successfully. Um and it is part of the um one of the uh elements that is being transitioned under the under the myo uh decision to transition into cost
recovery. >> Right. So the cost of that is it a database is that fair characterization >> database >> the cost of that database is that is the the total cost of that sheeted home to
cost recovery >> um
is it the >> senator the forecast cost for overall sustainment of the myore system is 1.09 09 million in 2627 and what we've done across the uh different export arrangements is we've estimated the effort required for the department to manage information including infrastructure security content updates licenses and usage volume and attributing these costs to each
arrangement. >> So that's but my question is that 1.09 that's the total cost of the sustainment so to speak >> that's correct Senator >> is is that entire 1.09 109 million uh
recovered. >> Uh it is proposed to be recovered as part of the draft quizzes um that phased in uh over 3ear period.
>> But the Miss Hutchinson just said before that the my core database is used by the department. So why would the industry have to pay the full costs if some of the use of this is for departmental
purposes? ask senator uh when we talk to industry it's actually one of the databases that
they use most >> I'm not doubting that I'm just my understanding is I mean I've probably used it I don't know if um I access my core or not but I was looking for different tariff rates or something once and MRL levels etc and I looked at something so presumably this is publicly
available my core >> uh it's available to exporters
>> what about the general public can I look
at it right now >> it's not generally and We are now getting into territory and um that is
>> okay we can leave that then for another outcome but I'm just wondering about the cost accounting decision here if the as Miss Hutchson you said the department's using this database why wouldn't you proportion prata the cost of the 1.09 09 million it's okay it's used by industry 75% of the time we'll prater it
>> and I will I will ask my colleague to provide detailed information about the use of that when and I will check my language um we definitely maintain the system we run the system we've recently um upgraded the system um but we will have evidence available uh in outcome one unless we want to hear it now
>> does the department of foreign affairs
and trade use the system >> I don't believe so it's the agricultural
trade use the system though global tool kit >> do they get charged for it
>> I don't believe so
>> they get it for free so why does why does the industry have to pay but the other public service agencies don't
>> so so I think the logic senator is the purpose of accessing the this system by government officers isn't for their own purposes it's for the delivery of these services so that's >> of course you can you can have a different decision about whether it's in or out but we don't go looking at my core for fun we go looking at my core to
Well, I'm sure the interest isn't looking for fun either. I mean, they've got to do it. >> Nobody goes there looking for fun. Let's be honest. But this is like Matt does. >> I I Yeah. Yeah. I probably would. >> But but yeah, I that doesn't if they're getting a use out of it and you want a cost recover, they should be charged too. Are you saying why do they get a
freebie and the industry of delivering service to a very discreet industry which is the >> um which is the um >> requirement of cost recovery. So this was um uh assessed in line with the government cost recovery framework um and assessed as meeting those
guidelines. >> All right. Um apparently the department's um included a $2.3 million charge for a regulatory efficiency