{"id":"sr:national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021","name":"National Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021","slug":"national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":181355,"registerId":"vic-sr:national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"National Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021","content":"Authorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\ni\nAuthorised Version No. 003\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee)\nRegulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\nAuthorised Version incorporating amendments as at\n11 June 2025\nTABLE OF PROVISIONS\nRegulation Page\nPart 1—Preliminary 1\n1 Objectives 1\n2 Authorising provisions 1\n3 Definitions 1\nPart 2—Standard licence fees 3\n4 Application for standard licence 3\n5 Annual licence fee for standard licence 3\n6 Use fee for standard licence 4\n7 Use fee cap 4\n8 Payment of use fee 4\n9 Use fee form 5\nPart 3—Competitively allocated licence fees 6\n10 Application of Part 6\n11 Application for competitively allocated licence 6\n12 Annual licence fees for competitively allocated licence 6\n13 Use fee for competitively allocated licence 7\n14 Use fee form 7\nPart 4—Reduction, refund and waiver 9\n15 Reduction, waiver or refund of licence fees 9\n16 Fees cannot be waived, reduced or refunded in certain\ncircumstances 10\n17 Surrender of licence 11\nPart 5—Expiry 12\n18 Expiry 12\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nRegulation Page\nii\nSchedule 1 13\n═════════════\nEndnotes 14\n1 General information 14\n2 Table of Amendments 16\n3 Explanatory details 17\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\n1\nAuthorised Version No. 003\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee)\nRegulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\nAuthorised Version incorporating amendments as at\n11 June 2025\nPart 1—Preliminary\n1 Objectives\nThe objectives of these Regulations are—\n(a) to prescribe the fees payable in respect of\ntour operator licences granted in respect of a\npark under the National Parks Act 1975;\nand\n(b) to provide for the reduction, waiver or refund\nof tour operator licence fees.\n2 Authorising provisions\nThese Regulations are made under sections 48\nand 48AA of the National Parks Act 1975.\n3 Definitions\nIn these Regulations—\nchild means—\n(a) a person under the age of 16; or\n(b) a person of compulsory school age who\nis educated at a school;\ncompetitively allocated licence means a tour\noperator licence granted to a person\nfollowing a competitive licence application\nprocess;\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 1—Preliminary\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n2\ncompulsory school age has the same meaning as\nit has in the Education and Training\nReform Act 2006;\nExpression of Interest document means an\ninvitation advertised to the public requesting\npersons interested in conducting organised\ntours or recreational activities for profit that\nare specified in the document to apply for a\ncompetitively allocated licence;\nschool has the same meaning as it has in the\nEducation and Training Reform Act 2006;\nstandard licence means a tour operator licence\ngranted to a person following a standard\nlicence application process;\nthe Act means the National Parks Act 1975;\nuse fee means the fee payable by the holder of\na tour operator licence calculated by Parks\nVictoria based on the number of individuals\nwho, each day, enter a park as part of an\norganised tour or recreational activity for\nprofit conducted by the holder of the tour\noperator licence;\nuse fee cap means the maximum use fee specified\nin regulation 7.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 2—Standard licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n3\nPart 2—Standard licence fees\n4 Application for standard licence\nFor the purposes of section 27E of the Act, an\napplicant for a standard licence is not required to\npay a fee under that section but is required to pay\nan annual licence fee under regulation 5 if granted\nthat licence.\n5 Annual licence fee for standard licence\n(1) For the purposes of section 27F of the Act, the\nannual licence fee for a standard licence granted\nfor one year comprises—\n(a) a fee in accordance with subregulation (2);\nand\n(b) a use fee in accordance with regulation 6.\n(2) The holder of a standard licence granted for one\nyear must pay a fee of 20·78 fee units on the\ngranting of the licence.\n(3) For the purposes of section 27F of the Act, the\nannual licence fee for a standard licence granted\nfor more than one year comprises—\n(a) the relevant fees in accordance with\nsubregulation (4)(a) and (b); and\n(b) a use fee in accordance with regulation 6.\n(4) The holder of a standard licence granted for more\nthan one year must pay a fee of 16·3 fee units—\n(a) on the granting of the licence, in respect of\nthe period commencing on the granting of\nthe licence and ending on 30 June of the\nfinancial year in which the licence was\ngranted; and\n(b) by 30 June in respect of each subsequent\nfinancial year for which the licence is in\nforce.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 2—Standard licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n4\n(5) The holder of a standard licence granted for more\nthan one year may elect to pay the fee payable\nunder subregulation (4)(b) in a lump sum on the\ngranting of the licence.\n6 Use fee for standard licence\n(1) Subject to regulation 7, the use fee payable on\na standard licence is comprised of the amount\ncalculated by Parks Victoria under subregulations\n(2) and (3).\n(2) The use fee payable in respect of each person who\nis not a child is $2.40 for each day the person\nparticipates in an organised tour or recreational\nactivity for which the holder of the standard\nlicence holds the licence.\n(3) The use fee payable in respect of each child is\n$1.60 for each day the child participates in an\norganised tour or recreational activity for which\nthe holder of the standard licence holds the\nlicence.\n7 Use fee cap\nIf the use fees payable under regulation 6 by the\nholder of a standard licence at the end of each\nfinancial year exceed the use fee cap of\n1018·74 fee units, the holder of the licence is\nnot liable to pay any use fees in excess of that\nuse fee cap.\n8 Payment of use fee\n(1) The holder of a standard licence may pay the use\nfees payable under the licence quarterly or\nannually.\n(2) If the holder of a standard licence pays the use\nfees payable under the licence and that licence\nholder pays more than the use fee cap, at the end\nof the financial year the licence holder is entitled\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 2—Standard licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n5\nto a refund for any amount paid in excess of the\nuse fee cap.\n9 Use fee form\n(1) The holder of a standard licence must maintain a\nrecord of the number of persons that participate in\nany organised tour or recreational activity for\nwhich the holder of the standard licence holds the\nlicence.\n(2) A record referred to in subregulation (1) must—\n(a) be kept in respect of each day the organised\ntour or recreational activity is conducted; and\n(b) be in Form 1 in Schedule 1; and\n(c) be provided to Parks Victoria on a quarterly\nor an annual basis.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 3—Competitively allocated licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n6\nPart 3—Competitively allocated licence fees\n10 Application of Part\nThis Part applies if Parks Victoria determines that\nit is necessary to limit the number of tour operator\nlicences granted in respect of a park for all or any\nof the following—\n(a) environmental reasons;\n(b) cultural reasons;\n(c) to ensure public safety.\n11 Application for competitively allocated licence\nFor the purposes of section 27E of the Act, an\napplicant for a competitively allocated licence is\nnot required to pay a fee under that section but is\nrequired to pay an annual licence fee under\nregulation 12 if granted that licence.\n12 Annual licence fees for competitively allocated\nlicence\n(1) For the purposes of section 27F of the Act, the\nannual licence fee for a competitively allocated\nlicence comprises—\n(a) the fee fixed by Parks Victoria and set out in\nthe relevant Expression of Interest document\nfor that competitively allocated licence,\nhaving regard to any guidelines issued by the\nMinister; and\n(b) a use fee calculated in accordance with\nregulation 13.\n(2) The fee fixed by Parks Victoria under\nsubregulation (1)(a) must be a minimum of\n20·78 fee units.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 3—Competitively allocated licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n7\n(3) The holder of a competitively allocated\nlicence must pay the licence fee fixed under\nsubregulation (1)(a)—\n(a) on the granting of the licence in respect of\nthe period commencing on the granting of\nthe licence and ending on 30 June of the\nfinancial year in which the licence was\ngranted, and by 30 June in respect of each\nsubsequent financial year for which the\nlicence is in force; or\n(b) in a lump sum at the start of the licence\nperiod.\n13 Use fee for competitively allocated licence\n(1) The use fee payable on a competitively allocated\nlicence is the amount calculated by Parks Victoria\nas follows—\n(a) $2.40 in respect of each person who is not a\nchild for each day the person participates in\nan organised tour or recreational activity for\nwhich the holder of the competitively\nallocated licence holds the licence;\n(b) $1.60 in respect of each child for each day\nthe child participates in an organised tour or\nrecreational activity for which the holder of\nthe competitively allocated licence holds the\nlicence.\n(2) The holder of a competitively allocated licence\nmay pay the use fee quarterly or annually.\n14 Use fee form\n(1) The holder of a competitively allocated licence\nmust maintain a record of the number of persons\nwho participate in any organised tour or\nrecreational activity for which the holder of the\ncompetitively allocated licence holds the licence.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 3—Competitively allocated licence fees\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n8\n(2) A record referred to in subregulation (1) must—\n(a) be kept in respect of each day the organised\ntour or recreational activity is conducted; and\n(b) be in Form 1 in Schedule 1; and\n(c) be provided to Parks Victoria on a quarterly\nor an annual basis.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 4—Reduction, refund and waiver\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n9\nPart 4—Reduction, refund and waiver\n15 Reduction, waiver or refund of licence fees\n(1) The holder of a standard licence or the holder of a\ncompetitively allocated licence may apply to\nParks Victoria for a fee payable under these\nRegulations—\n(a) to be waived in full or in part; or\n(b) to be reduced; or\n(c) to be refunded.\n(2) An application under subregulation (1) must be in\nwriting.\n(3) Subject to regulation 16, Parks Victoria may—\n(a) waive, in full or in part, a fee payable under\nthese Regulations; or\n(b) reduce a fee payable under these\nRegulations; or\n(c) refund a fee paid under these Regulations.\n(4) Parks Victoria must have regard to the\nfollowing when making a decision under\nsubregulation (3)—\n(a) whether payment of the fee would cause, or\nhas caused, undue financial hardship to the\nholder of a licence;\n(b) whether payment of the fee by a holder of a\nlicence would be manifestly unfair;\n(c) the impact a natural or unnatural event has\nhad on the ability of a holder of a licence to\ncontinue to conduct organised tours or\nrecreational activities in a park.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 4—Reduction, refund and waiver\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n10\n(5) A waiver, reduction or refund under subregulation\n(3) may be made—\n(a) on Parks Victoria's own motion; or\n(b) on an application under subregulation (1).\n16 Fees cannot be waived, reduced or refunded in\ncertain circumstances\n(1) The holder of a standard licence, or the holder of a\ncompetitively allocated licence, whose licence has\nbeen suspended under section 27J of the Act is not\neligible to have—\n(a) outstanding fees payable under these\nRegulations waived; or\n(b) outstanding fees payable under these\nRegulations reduced; or\n(c) any fees paid under these Regulations\nrefunded.\n(2) Subject to subregulation (3), a person whose\nlicence has been cancelled under section 27L of\nthe Act is not eligible to have—\n(a) outstanding fees payable under these\nRegulations waived; or\n(b) outstanding fees payable under these\nRegulations reduced; or\n(c) in the case of a licence granted for one\nyear—any fees paid under these Regulations\nrefunded; or\n(d) in the case of a licence granted for more than\none year—any fees paid for any completed\nor commenced year of the licence refunded.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 4—Reduction, refund and waiver\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n11\n(3) If a person whose licence has been cancelled\nunder section 27L of the Act held that licence for\na period greater than one year before that\ncancellation, that person remains eligible for a\nrefund on a pro-rata basis of fees for a\nnon-commenced year of the licence if that person\npaid the fees in advance.\n17 Surrender of licence\nParks Victoria may refund to a holder of a licence\non a pro-rata basis for any non-commenced year\nof the licence any fees paid in advance under these\nRegulations if the holder of the licence surrenders\nthe licence.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nPart 5—Expiry\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n12\nPart 5—Expiry\n18 Expiry\nThese Regulations expire on 30 June 2026.\nReg. 18\namended by\nS.R. Nos\n44/2023 reg. 3,\n44/2025 reg. 3.\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nSchedule 1\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n13\nSchedule 1\nFORM 1\nRegulations 9 and 14\nTOUR OPERATOR TRIP RETURN\nLicence No.:\nLicence Holder:\nDate Location Activity\nNo. of\nadults\nx No. of\ndays/\ntrips\nA\nx $XX\n= Total Total\nNo. of\nstudents/\nchildren\nx No. of\ndays/\ntrips Total\nB\nx $XX\n= Total\nA + B\ntotals =\nUse fee\ntotal\nUse fee\namount: $\nI certify that the records above are a true and correct account of all tours\nconducted on public land for the period:\nPlease tick  1 July–30 September  1 January–31 March\n 1 October–31 December  1 April–30 June\nAddress of land management agency:\n═════════════\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nEndnotes\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n14\nEndnotes\n1 General information\nSee www.legislation.vic.gov.au for Victorian Bills, Acts and current\nauthorised versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.\nThe National Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021,\nS.R. No. 67/2021 were made on 29 June 2021 by the Governor in Council\nunder sections 48 and 48AA of the National Parks Act 1975, No. 8702/1975\nand came into operation on 29 June 2021.\nThe National Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021 will\nexpire on 30 June 2026: see regulation 18 (as amended by S.R. Nos 44/2023\nand 44/2025).\nINTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)\nStyle changes\nSection 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in\nSchedule 1 to that Act.\nReferences to ILA s. 39B\nSidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which\nprovides that where an undivided regulation, rule or clause of a Schedule is\namended by the insertion of one or more subregulations, subrules or\nsubclauses the original regulation, rule or clause becomes subregulation,\nsubrule or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the\nexpression \"(1)\" at the beginning of the original regulation, rule or clause.\nInterpretation\nAs from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the\nfollowing effects:\n• Headings\nAll headings included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after\n1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any heading inserted in a\nStatutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule\nmade on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.\nThis includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule;\nOrders; Parts into which an Order is divided; clauses; regulations; rules;\nitems; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms.\nSee section 36(1A)(2A)(2B).\n• Examples, diagrams or notes\nAll examples, diagrams or notes included in a Statutory Rule which is made\non or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any examples,\ndiagrams or notes inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nEndnotes\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n15\n1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, form\npart of that Statutory Rule. See section 36(3A).\n• Punctuation\nAll punctuation included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after\n1 January 2001 forms part of that Statutory Rule. Any punctuation inserted\nin a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory\nRule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.\nSee section 36(3B).\n• Provision numbers\nAll provision numbers included in a Statutory Rule form part of that\nStatutory Rule, whether inserted in the Statutory Rule before, on or after\n1 January 2001. Provision numbers include regulation numbers, rule\nnumbers, subregulation numbers, subrule numbers, paragraphs and\nsubparagraphs. See section 36(3C).\n• Location of \"legislative items\"\nA \"legislative item\" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October\n2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of a Statutory Rule is taken to\nbe at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another\nlegislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the\nfoot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will\nbe regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.\n• Other material\nAny explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and\nother material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of a Statutory\nRule. See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nEndnotes\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n16\n2 Table of Amendments\nThis publication incorporates amendments made to the National Parks (Tour\nOperator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021 by statutory rules, subordinate\ninstruments and Acts.\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Amendment Regulations 2023,\nS.R. No. 44/2023\nDate of Making: 6.6.23\nDate of Commencement: 6.6.23\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Amendment Regulations 2025,\nS.R. No. 44/2025\nDate of Making: 11.6.25\nDate of Commencement: 11.6.25\n–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––\n\nAuthorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel\nEndnotes\nNational Parks (Tour Operator Licence Fee) Regulations 2021\nS.R. No. 67/2021\n17\n3 Explanatory details\nFee Units\nThese Regulations provide for fees by reference to fee units within the\nmeaning of the Monetary Units Act 2004. The amount of the fee is to be\ncalculated, in accordance with section 7 of that Act, by multiplying the\nnumber of fee units applicable by the value of a fee unit.\nThe value of a fee unit for the financial year commencing 1 July 2024 is\n$16.33 and for the financial year commencing 1 July 2025 is $16.81. The\namount of the calculated fee may be rounded to the nearest 10 cents.\nThe value of a fee unit for future financial years is to be fixed by the\nTreasurer under section 5 of the Monetary Units Act 2004. The value of a\nfee unit for a financial year must be published in the Government Gazette and\na Victorian newspaper before 1 June in the preceding financial year.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Regulations remain within the stated original purpose: prescribing fees (upfront and per‑participant use fees), record-keeping, payment timing, caps and rules for waiver/refund of tour operator licence fees under the National Parks Act. Amendments recorded in 2023 and 2025 relate to timing/expiry and do not expand the substantive scope of the scheme (fees, competitive allocation, discretion for waivers/refunds and administrative requirements remain the core content)."},"complexity_factors":["9 defined terms in regulation 3 (child; competitively allocated licence; compulsory school age; Expression of Interest document; school; standard licence; the Act; use fee; use fee cap).","Two distinct licensing tracks with different fee-setting mechanics: 'standard' vs 'competitively allocated' (Parts 2 & 3).","Multiple fee types: upfront/grant fee expressed in fee units, per-person per-day use fees, and a use-fee annual cap (regs 5, 6, 7, 12, 13).","Conditional logic for one-year versus multi-year licences including pro‑rata charging and optional lump-sum prepayment (regs 5(2)–(5), 12(3)).","Cross-references to National Parks Act sections (27E, 27F, 27J, 27L) which import procedural consequences from primary legislation.","Discretionary relief regime with nested exceptions (Parks Victoria may waive/reduce/refund but suspensions/cancellations create ineligibility; partial pro‑rata carve‑outs exist) (regs 15–17).","Record-keeping and reporting obligations using a prescribed form (Form 1, Schedule 1) with quarterly/annual reporting (regs 9, 14; Schedule 1).","Fee unit linkage to Monetary Units Act and annually varying dollar values set by the Treasurer (Explanatory details), adding external variability.","Expiry provision and two later amendments recorded (expiry on 30 June 2026; S.R. Nos 44/2023 and 44/2025), which limits the instrument’s temporal scope (reg 18 and endnotes)."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (plain terms)**\n\n- These Regulations set the fees and billing rules for people or businesses that hold a tour operator licence to run organised tours or recreational activities for profit in Victorian national parks. (They operate under the National Parks Act 1975 — regs 1–3.)\n\n- They create two tracks for licences and fees:\n  - **Standard licences** (a routine application process) with fixed upfront annual fees plus a \"use fee\" charged per participant per day (regs 4–9).\n  - **Competitively allocated licences** (when Parks Victoria limits licence numbers for environmental, cultural or safety reasons) where an upfront fee is set through an Expression of Interest process and must be at least the same minimum as the standard fee, plus the same per-person use fee (regs 10–14).\n\n- They require licence-holders to keep and supply trip-return records (Form 1) and allow payment either quarterly or annually; they also set a maximum annual cap on use-fees for standard licences and provide rules for refunds, waivers and reductions in specific circumstances (regs 6–9, 12–15, Schedule 1).\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- Primary: holders of tour operator licences granted under the National Parks Act (both small operators and larger businesses running organised tours in parks).\n- Secondary: Parks Victoria (collects and sets some fees, runs competitive allocation processes), and potentially customers through changes to tour prices or availability driven by operator responses to fees.\n\n**Key mechanics you need to know**\n\n- Upfront / annual licence fees:\n  - Standard licence: if granted for one year, the grant fee is 20.78 fee units on grant; if granted for multiple years, 16.3 fee units is charged pro‑rata per financial year (regs 5(2)–(4)). Operators may prepay later-year amounts as a lump sum (reg 5(5)).\n  - Competitively allocated licence: Parks Victoria sets the upfront fee in the Expression of Interest (EoI) document, subject to Ministerial guidelines; the fee must be at least 20.78 fee units (reg 12(1)–(2)). Payment may be annual or as a lump sum (reg 12(3)).\n\n- Use fees (applies to both licence types): $2.40 per adult per day; $1.60 per child per day. Parks Victoria calculates and invoices these based on the daily records operators must keep (regs 6(2)–(3), 13(1)).\n\n- Use-fee cap for standard licences: total use-fees for a financial year cannot exceed 1,018.74 fee units for the licence-holder; any excess paid is refundable (regs 7–8).\n\n- Record-keeping and reporting: licence-holders must keep daily records in Form 1 and provide them to Parks Victoria quarterly or annually (regs 9(1)–(2), 14(1)–(2); Schedule 1).\n\n- Waivers, reductions and refunds: Parks Victoria can waive, reduce or refund fees on its own motion or on application. Factors it must consider include undue financial hardship, manifest unfairness, and impacts of natural or unnatural events on the operator’s ability to run tours (reg 15). But there are exclusions: suspended licence-holders cannot get waivers/refunds for outstanding or paid fees; cancelled licence-holders are generally excluded except a pro‑rata refund of pre-paid fees for an uncommenced year may apply in some cases (reg 16). Surrendered licences may receive pro‑rata refunds for uncommenced years (reg 17).\n\n- Fee-unit mechanics: monetary amounts are expressed in \"fee units\" (see the Monetary Units Act). The Regulations’ explanatory notes show examples of fee-unit dollar values for particular years (Explanatory details).\n\n- Duration: these Regulations expire on 30 June 2026 (reg 18).\n\n**Why it matters (stated purpose, then implications and trade-offs)**\n\n- Stated purpose: to prescribe fees for tour operator licences and provide for reductions, waivers and refunds (reg 1).\n\n- Practical implications and trade-offs:\n  - Revenue and cost allocation: the Regulations convert licence access and park use into predictable revenue lines for Parks Victoria (upfront fees + per-participant use fees). That shifts some ongoing cost of park management onto operators rather than general taxpayers (regs 5, 6, 12, 13).\n  - Operators bear per-participant marginal costs: the per-person, per-day use fee ($2.40/$1.60) creates a direct marginal cost for each additional visitor on a commercial tour (regs 6(2)–(3), 13(1)). Operators may respond by changing prices, group sizes, or tour frequency to manage costs.\n  - Competitive allocation: when supply of licences is limited for environmental/cultural/safety reasons, Parks Victoria can require higher upfront bids or fees via an EoI process; this may raise entry costs for operators and concentrate benefits to successful bidders (regs 10–12).\n  - Administrative burden: operators must keep daily participant logs and report quarterly/annually; that creates compliance costs, especially for small operators (regs 9, 14; Schedule 1).\n  - Discretion and accountability: Parks Victoria has discretion to set competitive-fee levels (within a minimum) and to grant waivers/refunds, guided by Ministerial guidelines and specified factors; that centralises decision-making and creates scope for case-by-case judgments (reg 12(1)(a), reg 15).\n  - Variability: because fees are expressed in fee units and the dollar value of a fee unit is set annually by the Treasurer, the dollar cost to operators will change each financial year (Explanatory details).\n\n**Who pays, who decides, what behaviour changes**\n\n- Who pays: the licence-holder (operator) pays upfront licence fees and use fees; Parks Victoria receives and enforces collection (regs 5–6, 12–13).\n- Who decides: Parks Victoria administers fees, sets competitive licence fees in EoI documents (subject to a Ministerial guideline minimum), and decides on waivers/refunds; the Treasurer sets the dollar value of a fee unit (reg 12(1)(a); Explanatory details).\n- Expected behaviour changes: operators will track daily participant numbers, may change pricing or operational choices in response to per-person fees, might prefer lump-sum payment options or multi-year licences to smooth costs, and in constrained parks potential entrants will bid for competitively allocated licences.\n\n(References: regs 1–18, Schedule 1; explanatory details on fee units.)"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of prescribing fees for tour operator licences. The 2023 and 2025 amendments visible in the endnotes appear limited to extending the expiry date (regulation 18), suggesting maintenance amendments rather than scope expansion. No evidence of regulatory creep into broader park management or unrelated commercial activities."},"complexity_factors":["Straightforward structure with only 18 regulations across 5 Parts","Minimal cross-referencing—primarily references back to the parent National Parks Act 1975 (sections 27E, 27F, 27J, 27L) and the Monetary Units Act 2004 for fee calculations","Only 8 defined terms in the interpretation section (regulation 3), most of which are intuitive (child, school, standard licence, etc.)","Simple conditional logic: two parallel fee structures (standard vs competitive) with mirrored provisions for use fees and record-keeping","Single nested exception in Part 4 (regulation 16) regarding suspension/cancellation, but otherwise linear drafting","Fee unit calculations require external lookup (Monetary Units Act), adding minor administrative complexity but not legal complexity","No sub-delegations, no intricate deeming provisions, no extensive schedules beyond a single one-page form"],"plain_english_summary":"This legislation sets out the fees that commercial tour operators must pay to run guided tours or recreational activities in Victoria's national parks. It applies to businesses that take paying customers into parks for organised activities like hiking, wildlife tours, or adventure sports.\n\n**Key points:**\n\n*   **Two types of licences:**\n    *   **Standard licences:** For general tour operators. These cost a base fee (20.78 fee units, roughly $340–$350 depending on the year) plus a per-person 'use fee' ($2.40 per adult, $1.60 per child per day). There's a cap on use fees (about 1,019 fee units, or roughly $16,500–$17,000) to protect high-volume operators from unlimited costs.\n    *   **Competitively allocated licences:** For sensitive or high-demand parks where Parks Victoria limits numbers for environmental, cultural, or safety reasons. These have a minimum base fee set by Parks Victoria (at least 20.78 fee units) plus the same per-person use fees.\n\n*   **Use fees:** Operators must keep daily records of how many adults and children they take into parks, submit these quarterly or annually, and pay based on those numbers.\n\n*   **Hardship provisions:** Parks Victoria can waive, reduce, or refund fees if paying would cause serious financial hardship, would be manifestly unfair, or if natural disasters (like bushfires or floods) have disrupted business.\n\n*   **Exceptions:** Operators who have had their licences suspended or cancelled generally cannot get refunds or waivers, except for pro-rata refunds on future years if they surrender a multi-year licence early.\n\n*   **Sunset clause:** These regulations automatically expire on 30 June 2026 unless renewed or replaced.\n\n**Why it matters:** This creates a fairer system where operators contribute to park maintenance based on how many people they bring in, while protecting small operators with fee caps and hardship provisions. It also ensures sensitive areas aren't overrun by limiting licences competitively."},"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"},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available text, the regulations appear to remain narrowly focused on their stated purpose — setting licence fees for tour operators in national parks. There is no evidence in the provided text of scope creep or expansion beyond the original intent, though the document's apparent incompleteness limits confidence in this assessment."},"complexity_factors":["Fee regulations are typically straightforward, prescribing dollar amounts and categories","Limited scope — deals only with one specific type of licence fee","The provided document text is heavily truncated or corrupted, preventing full analysis","No apparent cross-referencing to complex legislative schemes visible in the provided text","Subordinate legislation (statutory rule) under a parent Act, adding one layer of interpretive dependency"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set the fee framework for licences required by commercial tour operators running paid tours inside Victoria’s national parks, creating a revenue mechanism for use of public land and affecting operators (and potentially tour prices for visitors). \n\nNote: the source document appears incomplete, so specific fee amounts and detailed conditions could not be verified."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021","history":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021/history","analysis":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/national-parks-tour-operator-licence-fee-regulations-2021/documents"}}