{"id":"F2020L01554","name":"Industry Research and Development (Digital Directors Program) Instrument 2020","slug":"industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440689,"registerId":"F2020L01554-fast-fetch-1775956238955","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Industry Research and Development (Digital Directors Program) Instrument 2020","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 22.10.0\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nIndustry Research and Development (Digital Directors Program) Instrument 2020\n\nI, Karen Andrews, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, make the following instrument.\n\nDated 4 December 2020\n\nKaren Andrews\n\nMinister for Industry, Science and Technology\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Definitions\n\n5 Prescribed program\n\n6 Specified legislative power\n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Industry Research and Development (Digital Directors Program) Instrument 2020.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered. 11 December 2020\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\nASX 200 companies means the 200 largest public companies, by market capitalisation, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange operated by ASX Limited.\n\nprogram: see subsection 5(1).\n\nSTEM is short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.\n\n5  Prescribed program\n\n (1) For the purposes of subsection 33(1) of the Act, the Digital Directors Program (the program) is prescribed.\n\n (2) The program provides funding to the Australian Institute of Company Directors for:\n\n (a) the development of a training package to help directors and other leaders of Australian organisations improve their digital literacy and digital investment decision‑making; and\n\n (b) the promotion of a target for the number of directors on the board of an Australian business with a digital (STEM) background by the end of 2030; and\n\n (c) monitoring and reporting on the progress of ASX 200 companies towards meeting that target.\n\n (3) The purposes of the program are to:\n\n (a) signal the importance of digital and technological skills of directors on the boards of Australian businesses and other leaders of Australian organisations; and\n\n (b) increase the representation on those boards of directors with those skills.\n\n6  Specified legislative power\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 33(3) of the Act, the legislative powers of the Parliament with respect to the following are specified:\n\n (a) postal, telegraphic, telephonic, and other like services (within the meaning of paragraph 51(v) of the Constitution);\n\n (b) census and statistics (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xi) of the Constitution);\n\n (c) foreign corporations, and trading or financial corporations formed within the limits of the Commonwealth (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution).\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument does exactly what its title suggests: it prescribes the Digital Directors Program under the Industry Research and Development Act. The scope is narrow and tightly focused on establishing this specific training and board diversity initiative. There is no evidence of scope creep or expansion beyond the original purpose of funding digital literacy programs for company directors."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (6 sections, approximately 1 page)","Only 4 defined terms, all straightforward (Act, ASX 200 companies, program, STEM)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling Act","Simple conditional logic — just one prescription and one specification","No exceptions, exemptions, or nested conditions","Clear, linear structure with no schedules or attachments"],"plain_english_summary":"The instrument creates the government-funded Digital Directors Program, giving taxpayer money to the Australian Institute of Company Directors to develop director training on digital technology, promote a STEM‑qualified director target by 2030, and track ASX 200 progress. It mainly affects large Australian companies and the AICD and matters because board digital skills shape major tech investment decisions. It declares the program prescribed under the Industry Research and Development Act and cites several constitutional powers."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not expand or amend the underlying Act; it prescribes a program under s33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (s3 & s5) and specifies relevant legislative powers (s6). Who pays: Commonwealth funding is directed to the Australian Institute of Company Directors (s5(2)). Who decides/implements: Minister made the instrument; AICD is funded to design training, promote a STEM directors target and monitor ASX 200 progress (s5(2)(a)‑(c)). Behavioural effect: it channels public funds to influence board skills and requires monitoring/reporting but does not impose new statutory duties on ASX 200 companies (s5(2)(c))."},"complexity_factors":["Short, self-contained instrument with clear purpose and limited number of operative clauses (s5).","Cross-reference to external statute: made under s33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (s3), requiring readers to consult that Act for broader context.","Delegation of funding and program delivery to a non‑government body (Australian Institute of Company Directors) creates administrative implementation details not specified in the instrument (s5(2)).","Use of non‑numerical policy language: ‘promotion of a target’ is required but the instrument does not set a numerical target, leaving substantive content to implementing arrangements (s5(2)(b)).","Monitoring and reporting obligation concerns ASX 200 companies but the instrument does not create legal duties for those companies; it directs AICD to monitor/report (s5(2)(c)).","Specification of constitutional legislative powers (postal/telegraphic, census/statistics, corporations) ties program to multiple heads of power (s6), adding interpretive nuance for constitutional lawyers.","Commencement mechanics are explicit but routine (commences day after registration) and do not add operational complexity (clause 2)."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates the Digital Directors Program, funding the Australian Institute of Company Directors to develop digital-literacy training for directors, promote a target for directors with STEM backgrounds by 2030, and monitor ASX 200 companies' progress. It affects company boards, ASX 200 firms, the AICD and the Commonwealth by directing public funding to influence board skills and requiring reporting on large companies' progress."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020","history":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020/history","analysis":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-digital-directors-program-instrument-2020/documents"}}