Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation Program

The Australian Government recognises innovative telecommunications solutions are important to help people stay connected during natural disasters.

Harris Review of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Scheme

The Review of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Scheme (the Harris Review) PDF: 858 KB, an independent review prepared by Mr Peter Harris AO, was released in 2021.

The Harris Review was commissioned to determine if the Sydney Airport demand management objectives remain relevant and the scheme is fit-for-purpose.

Tax incentives for Australian shipping

There are a range of tax incentives that may be available in respect of operations associated with the Australian shipping industry. The tax incentives are designed to encourage investment in the Australian shipping industry and to encourage the development of sustainable employment and skills opportunities for Australian seafarers. They are:

Royalty withholding tax exemption

Payments made to non-residents by Australian resident companies for the lease of eligible vessels on a bareboat basis (vessel leased without a crew) are exempt from royalty withholding tax. This aims to reduce the costs for Australian shipping companies when leasing foreign vessels on a bareboat basis, which is expected to increase the ability of Australian operators to crew those vessels with Australian workers.

The exemption from royalty withholding tax will only apply if the following criteria are fulfilled:

Seafarer tax offset

An Australian company is eligible for a refundable tax offset (a seafarer tax offset) for salary, wages and allowances (withholding payments) paid to Australian resident seafarers who are employed to undertake overseas voyages on any eligible vessel for which a certificate under the Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 is issued (certified vessel), if the company employs the seafarer on such voyages for at least 91 days in the income year.

Accelerated depreciation and roll-over relief

Accelerated depreciation means that the effective life of an eligible vessel is capped at 10 years for an Australian company that has been issued with a certificate under the Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 in respect of the vessel (certified vessel). The decline in value of the depreciating asset (the certified vessel) will therefore be calculated over a shorter period of time, providing companies with a greater deduction in the earlier income years.

Shipping exempt income tax incentive

A key goal of the shipping exempt income tax incentive is to attract existing vessels and newer vessels to be registered in Australia. Under this tax incentive, certain income generated from shipping activities of eligible vessels may be exempt from income tax under section 51-100 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 if certain criteria are satisfied.

Consolidated information on certificates and notices

Consolidated information on the number of certificates and notices issued in the 2024 calendar year under the Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 by the Department is provided in the tables below. Please note that there can be multiple types of tax incentives sought per application. Out of the 23 certificates issued in the 2024 calendar year, 14 were for income tax exemption, four were for refundable tax offset, and five were for accelerated depreciation.

Eligibility requirements

The Shipping Reform (Tax Incentives) Act 2012 provides the mechanism for Australian companies to obtain a certificate (and, if relevant, a notice for the first income year) for an eligible vessel undertaking qualifying activities as a necessary step towards gaining access to a range of taxation incentives.

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