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Decision Regulation Impact Statement 1
Table of contents 3
About this Decision Regulation Impact Statement 4
Quantified impacts for national licensing 5
Automatic mutual recognition 5
Executive summary 6
Purpose of the Decision Regulation Impact Statement 6
The Problem 6
Mutual recognition 6
Government objectives for reform 8
Property occupations are important to the economy 9
Options considered 9
Option 1: National licensing 9
Option 2: Automatic mutual recognition 9
National licensing – preferred option 10
Overview of the three options 10
National licensing option 10
Automatic mutual recognition 28
Status quo 29
1General policy context 31
1General policy context 31
1.The Occupational Licensing National Law Act 2010 32
1.The Occupational Licensing National Law Act 2010 32
Options for reform 34
Options for reform 34
2.Options considered 34
2.Options considered 34
Option 1 – National licensing 35
Option 2 – Automatic mutual recognition 36
Option 3 – Status quo 39
Preferred national licensing model 40
Preferred national licensing model 40
3.Licence categories 40
3.Licence categories 40
Real estate agent 41
Business agent 42
Strata managing agent 42
Agent’s representative 43
Real estate auctioneer 43
4.Nominees 43
4.Nominees 43
5.Exemptions 44
5.Exemptions 44
6.Non-skills based eligibility requirements 45
6.Non-skills based eligibility requirements 45
Relevant person 45
Personal probity eligibility requirements 46
Financial probity requirements 48
7.Qualification-based eligibility requirements 49
7.Qualification-based eligibility requirements 49
Review of the proposed qualifications 49
Real estate agents 50
Business agents 52
Strata managing agents 53
Agent’s representative 54
Real estate auctioneer 55
8.Experience 55
8.Experience 55
9.Age requirement 55
9.Age requirement 55
10.Skills maintenance (continuing professional development) 55
10.Skills maintenance (continuing professional development) 55
11.Licence periods 56
11.Licence periods 56
12.Licence fees 56
12.Licence fees 56
13.Rationale for proposed national licensing elements 57
13.Rationale for proposed national licensing elements 57
National licence categories 57
Nominees 73
Exemptions 74
Non-skills based eligibility requirements 75
Qualification-based eligibility requirements 78
Skills maintenance (or continuing professional development) 88
Age requirement 90
Licence periods 91
Other licensing areas for consideration 92
Transitional arrangements 99
Impact analysis 102
Impact analysis 102
1.Transition and implementation costs of a national licensing system 102
1.Transition and implementation costs of a national licensing system 102
Cost to property licensees 102
Cost to business and households 103
Costs to government 103
1.Direct costs and benefits of national licensing 107
1.Direct costs and benefits of national licensing 107
Labour mobility 107
Removal of multiple licences held across jurisdictions 110
Flexible licence periods 111
Reducing the costs of regulatory requirements 113
Costs imposed by new requirements 117
Business value-add 120
National Occupational Licensing Authority – ongoing operational costs 121
Potential changes in government revenue 122
Potential benefits to governments from simplified administrative arrangements 122
Other impacts that have not been quantified 124
1.Impacts on consumer outcomes 127
1.Impacts on consumer outcomes 127
2.Comparing the impacts of licensees working in single and multiple jurisdictions 128
2.Comparing the impacts of licensees working in single and multiple jurisdictions 128
3.Wider economic impacts on the Australian economy 129
3.Wider economic impacts on the Australian economy 129
The shock to the model – the scenario modelled for this Decision Regulation Impact Statement 130
Key results 130
1.Sensitivity testing of key assumptions 133
1.Sensitivity testing of key assumptions 133
Labour mobility assumptions 133
Alternative licence period 134
Net present value assumptions 135
1.Costs and benefits of the automatic mutual recognition option 136
1.Costs and benefits of the automatic mutual recognition option 136
Automatic mutual recognition – unharmonised approach 136
Automatic mutual recognition – harmonised approach 139
Potential Impacts 140
Conclusion 140
2.Summary of the costs and benefits of national licensing by jurisdiction 142
2.Summary of the costs and benefits of national licensing by jurisdiction 142
New South Wales 142
Victoria 143
Queensland 144
Western Australia 145
South Australia 146
Tasmania 147
Australian Capital Territory 148
Northern Territory 149
Consultation 150
Consultation 150
3.Public information sessions 150
3.Public information sessions 150
4.National Occupational Licensing Authority 154
4.National Occupational Licensing Authority 154
5.Other consultation 154
5.Other consultation 154
6.Submission summary 154
6.Submission summary 154
7.Overview of selected stakeholder submissions 156
7.Overview of selected stakeholder submissions 156
8.Other areas of concern 157
8.Other areas of concern 157
Conduct requirements 157
Conclusion and recommendation 158
Conclusion and recommendation 158
9.Recommended option 158
9.Recommended option 158
10.Overview of the preferred national licensing model for the property occupations 158
10.Overview of the preferred national licensing model for the property occupations 158
Licence categories for the property occupations 158
Regulated scopes of work 159
Nominees 160
Exemptions 160
Non-skills based eligibility requirements 162
Qualification-based eligibility requirements 165
Experience 171
Age requirement 172
Skills maintenance (continuing professional development) 172
Licence periods 172
1.Other licensing areas for consideration 172
1.Other licensing areas for consideration 172
Livestock auctioneer 173
Livestock agency endorsement 173
Implementation 175
Implementation 175
1.Implementation of national licensing 175
1.Implementation of national licensing 175
Key steps in implementation 176
1.Communication strategy for national licensing 178
1.Communication strategy for national licensing 178
2.Review 178
2.Review 178
Attachment A – Key changes to existing arrangements 180
Attachment B – Overview of the property industry sector 191
Attachment C – List of submissions 193
Attachment D – Overview of existing licensing arrangements 206
Overview of current licensing and eligibility requirements 206
Real estate agent 206
Business agent 207
Strata managing agent 207
Property management 208
Agent or sales representative 208
Auctioning of real property 208
Auctioning of livestock 209
Current licence categories 209
Attachment E – National licensing policy development process 211
Attachment F – Risks associated with property occupations 215
Attachment G – Approach to the impact analysis 221
Calculations used in the cost–benefit analysis 221
The status quo 221
Calculating the present value of yearly impacts 221
Number of licence holders affected by national licensing 222
Net industry growth factor for employment 222
Time cost as referred to in the calculations in this chapter 223
Calculating the net present value 223
Calculating the transition and ongoing costs 223
Estimating transition costs to licence holders from a change to national licensing 223
Transition cost for government of communicating the changes to the industry and consumers 224
Cost to governments of the transition to a national licensing register 224
Cost of establishing and operating the National Occupational Licensing Authority 224
Removing the need to hold multiple licences across jurisdictions 225
Continuing compliance activity on reduced revenue 227
Impact from a licence period of one, three or five years across all jurisdictions 228
Increasing the frequency of processing for agent’s representatives in Victoria 229
Changes to qualification requirements 229
Removal of mandatory continuing professional development requirements 231
Removing the requirement to advertise 231
Savings from removing broader fit and proper tests as part of personal probity 231
Labour mobility 232
Removing experience requirements 232
Business value-add 232
Method underlying the computable general equilibrium modelling 233
Limitations of the modelling 234
The shock to the model 236
Inputs and assumptions underlying the analysis 237
Assumptions in the cost–benefit analysis 237
Real discount rate 237
Evaluation period 237
Wage rate 238
Industry growth rates (employment) 240
Licence fees 242
Processing component of licence fees 245
Number of licensees 246
Frequency of renewal of licence 249
Time cost of applying for a licence 249
Time cost of renewing a licence 250
Transition costs for industry 251
Mutual recognition 251
Removal of requirement to hold multiple licences across jurisdictions 252
Experience requirements 253
Improved labour mobility 254
Business value-add (capital efficiency) 254
Changes to frequency of processing for agent’s representatives in Victoria 256
Change in qualification requirements 256
Removal of requirement to advertise the intention to apply for a licence 263
Changes to personal probity requirements 263
Government communications costs 265
Government operating costs associated with National Occupational Licensing Authority 266
National licensing register costs 268
Attachment H – References 270
Reports and presentations 270
Legislation 271