{"id":"F2019L01305","name":"Industry Research and Development (Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program) Instrument 2019","slug":"industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440267,"registerId":"F2019L01305-fast-fetch-1775955958319","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Industry Research and Development (Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program) Instrument 2019","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\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 (Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program) Instrument 2019\n\nI, Angus Taylor, as delegate of the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, make the following instrument.\n\nDated 23 September 2019\n\nAngus Taylor\n\nMinister for Energy and Emissions Reduction\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\n7 Eligibility criteria relating to program\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Industry Research and Development (Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program) Instrument 2019.\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instrument is registered. 5 October 2019\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made.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\nprogram means the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program.\n\n5  Prescribed program\n\n (1) For the purposes of subsection 33(1) of the Act, the program is prescribed.\n\n (2) The program provides funding to support feasibility studies into whether establishing an electricity microgrid in or near a regional or remote community in Australia would be cost‑effective for the community.\n\n6  Specified legislative power\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 33(3) of the Act, the powers of the Parliament to make laws with respect to the following are specified:\n\n (a) 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\n (b) external affairs (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xxix) of the Constitution) as it relates to measures to give effect to Australia’s obligations under one or more of the following:\n\n (i) the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, particularly Article 4;\n\n (ii) the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, particularly Article 10;\n\n (iii) the Paris Agreement, particularly Article 4;\n\n (c) measures in, or in relation to, a Territory (within the meaning of section 122 of the Constitution).\n\n7  Eligibility criteria relating to program\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 33(4) of the Act, the eligibility criteria relating to the program include that, for funding for a feasibility study, at least one of the following are satisfied:\n\n (a) the applicant is a trading or financial corporation to which paragraph 51(xx) of the Constitution applies;\n\n (b) the feasibility study relates to a microgrid that:\n\n (i) can reasonably be expected to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases; or\n\n (ii) would be located in a Territory.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing a specific funding program for microgrid feasibility studies in regional and remote communities. The scope has not expanded beyond this narrow objective."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (only 7 sections)","Minimal defined terms (only 2: 'Act' and 'program')","Simple structure with no nested exceptions or complex conditional logic","Straightforward eligibility criteria using 'at least one of' structure (section 7)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Act and Constitution","Single purpose instrument prescribing one specific program"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program to provide grants for feasibility studies into small, local electricity networks (microgrids) for regional and remote Australian communities.  \n\nIt mainly affects corporate applicants (or studies tied to emissions reductions or located in a Territory) and matters because it aims to assess affordable, more reliable local power options while aligning funding with Australia’s international climate commitments."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument implements a narrowly targeted funding program under the existing statutory power in section 33; it prescribes the program and sets eligibility criteria but does not purport to widen the Act’s statutory scope. It also specifies constitutional heads of power relied on for the program."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, single-purpose instrument prescribing one funding program (low substantive breadth).","Cross-references to the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (requires reading s33 for procedural mechanics).","Specification of constitutional heads of power (s51(xx), s51(xxix) re international agreements, and s122) broadens legal bases and introduces constitutional law considerations.","Eligibility expressed as alternative criteria (corporate status OR emissions-reduction expectation OR Territory location) adds conditionality to who may receive funding.","Instrument delegates administrative discretion to the Minister/delegate without detailing application, assessment or reporting processes (implementation detail deferred).","Commencement and formal drafting provisions present minor procedural complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument prescribes the Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund Program under section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986. It authorises Commonwealth funding for feasibility studies into whether electricity microgrids would be cost‑effective for regional or remote Australian communities.\n\nApplicants must meet narrow eligibility tests — for example being a trading or financial corporation, or proposing a microgrid expected to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions or located in a Territory. The Minister’s delegate administers eligibility and funding; the Commonwealth provides the money."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen","history":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen/history","analysis":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-regional-and-remote-communities-reliability-fund-program-instrumen/documents"}}