Australia Regulatory News

On  7 March 2022, Australia notified the changes to its laws regarding Mercury, in a bid to comply with the Minamata Convention obligations. Due to the amendment, Australia now prohibits the import...

On  7 March 2022, Australia notified the changes to its laws regarding Mercury, in a bid to comply with the Minamata Convention obligations. Due to the amendment, Australia now prohibits the import and export of elemental mercury, also known as metallic mercury. The new rule to prohibit products that contain mercury became effective on March 7, 2022.  The prohibited products are: 

• Batteries, except for button zinc silver oxide batteries with a mercury content <2% and button zinc air batteries with a mercury content <2%
• Switches and relays, except very high accuracy capacitance and loss measurement bridges and high frequency radio frequency switches and relays in monitoring and control instruments with a maximum mercury content of 20mg per bridge, switch or relay
• Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) for general lighting purposes that are ≤30 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp burner
• Linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) for general lighting purposes:
  1. Triband phosphor <60 watts with a mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp
  2. Halophosphate phosphor ≤40 watts with a mercury content exceeding 10mg per lamp
• High pressure mercury vapour lamps (HPMV) for general lighting purposes
• Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps (CCFL and EEFL) for electronic displays:
  1. Short length (≤500mm) with mercury content exceeding 3.5mg per lamp
  2. Medium length (>500mm and ≤1500mm) with mercury content exceeding 5mg per lamp
  3. Long length (>1500mm) with mercury content exceeding 13mg per lamp
• Cosmetics (with mercury content above 1ppm), including skin lightening soaps and creams, and not including eye area cosmetics where mercury is used as a preservative and no effective and safe substitute preservatives are available
• Pesticides, biocides and topical antiseptics
• The following non-electronic measuring devices except non-electronic measuring devices installed in large-scale equipment or those used for high precision measurement, where no suitable mercury-free alternative is available:
  1. Barometers
  2. Hygrometers
  3. Manometers
  4. Thermometers
  5. Sphygmomanometers

The Australian government recently published an evaluation roadmap and rolling action plan outlining their approach for evaluating industrial chemicals’ introduction. The rolling action plan is ...

The Australian government recently published an evaluation roadmap and rolling action plan outlining their approach for evaluating industrial chemicals’ introduction. The rolling action plan is Australia’s work plan for prioritising chemicals for evaluation, depending on the outcome of the Evaluation Selection Analysis (ESA) process. They are all aimed at ensuring the protection of Australians and the environment.

By 2024, the government aims to evaluate at least 20% of the inventory chemicals. However, there is currently no risk assessment. These chemicals include inactive chemicals, higher concern chemicals, and the ones unlikely to need further regulation for risk management. And by 2030, they aim to have evaluated the remaining unassessed higher concern industrial chemicals.

Australia wants to ensure that there is readily available information and recommendations for managing potential risks associated with chemicals’ use, even before they are brought into the country. Therefore, the regulators will:

1. Identify and prioritise chemicals for evaluation.
2. Produce efficient, transparent, and targeted evaluations and recommendations to risk managers.
3. Provide high-quality information and risk management advice to achieve safe use of chemicals.

The Rolling Action Plan will be strategically used to prioritise chemicals for evaluation. With the plan, there will be a listing of evaluations in progress, the ones currently open for public consultation and the recently completed evaluations, all on the AICIS website. The evaluation could be either for a single chemical or a group of chemicals, and it includes the following:

• subject of the evaluation (the chemical name or chemical group name)
• reason for the evaluation
• time it takes to do the evaluation
• focus of the evaluation (chemical identity, and human health or the environment, or both)
• current status of the evaluation (for example, in progress, public consultation, completed) and
• amendment to the regulator’s list of evaluation candidates.

Finally, the targets and plans will be reviewed regularly and stakeholders, government agencies, industry and the public will continue to have a say on the evaluations’ outcome.

Last Update: 2021-11-01

  The Government has appointed Graeme Barden as the new Executive Director of the nation’s industrial chemicals assessment and regulatory body, the Australian Industrial Chemicals In...

The Government has appointed Graeme Barden as the new Executive Director of the nation’s industrial chemicals assessment and regulatory body, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).

The regulatory authority has revised various fees and charges, and these changes will take effect from 1 July 2021. There is a slight increase in the registration fees, but the registration charges remain the same (Table 1 below).

The tables below have the revised values in fee structure. 

Table 1: Registration:

Table 2: Certificate and Authorisation fees

Table 3: Protection of confidential business information (CBI)

Table 4: Import and export of certain industrial chemicals subject to international agreements

Table 5: New fee for service activities starting on 1 July 2021

The new fee structure will drive manufacturers and importers to be more diligent in determining their introduction values since the Australian chemical regulatory body ‘NICNAS’ four-tier system has been replaced with an eight-tier one (see table 1). This is an effort made by AICIS towards better monitoring and enforcement of post-market chemical activities and regulation.

GPC has a legal entity in Australia and with that, we can help you with your annual declaration submissions. You may contact us at - compliance@au.gpcregulatory.com.

Latest update: 2021-06-30

Australian authority has identified 188 chemicals that are on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals and according to the authority, these chemicals are not manufactured, imported, or us...

Australian authority has identified 188 chemicals that are on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals and according to the authority, these chemicals are not manufactured, imported, or used in Australia for commercial purposes.

Australia published a Draft evaluation statement that contains a list of these 188 chemicals. This statement is open for public comment till 25th June 2021.

Companies are requested to submit an online form and inform the authorities if they are manufacturing, importing or using these chemicals in Australia. A list of the 188 chemicals is available at – Draft Evaluation statement

GPC has a legal entity in Australia and with that, we can help you with your annual declaration submissions. You may contact us at - compliance@au.gpcregulatory.com.

Latest update: 2021-06-22

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has been implemented since July 1st 2020. Under this Scheme, introducers of chemicals have the obligation to submit an annual declar...

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has been implemented since July 1st 2020. Under this Scheme, introducers of chemicals have the obligation to submit an annual declaration. The first deadline of the annual declaration is November 30th, 2021.

All the industrial chemicals placed in Australia, regardless of their categories, are subject to submit an annual declaration to authority. The submission should be carried out via the online submission portal – AICIS Business Services. This annual declaration is a separate requirement from other reporting obligations.

This annual declaration covers industrial chemicals imported or manufactured during the previous registration year. The window for this Annual declaration will open between 1st August 2021 and 30th Nov 2021. The coverage period for this declaration is from 1 July 2020 to 31 August 2021.

The annual declaration should include:

• your AICIS Business Registration number (starting with ‘NIC’)
• the introduction categories for the chemicals you imported or manufactured during our registration year
• a declaration that all of your introductions were authorised under sections 25 to 30 of the Industrial Chemicals Act (2019)

It is possible to view all of your annual declarations in the AICIS Business Services online portal. 

GPC has a legal entity in Australia and we can help you with your Annual declaration submissions. You may contact us at compliance@au.gpcregulatory.com.

Last Update: 2021-04-19

Are you introducing soaps into Australian territory for commercial purposes to make a profit? Then you must register under AICIS. The registration duty applies only ...

Are you introducing soaps into Australian territory for commercial purposes to make a profit? Then you must register under AICIS. The registration duty applies only if soaps manufactured in Australia involving a chemical reaction (such as saponification using lye), importing soaps or their ingredients (essential oils, fragrance) for soap making intended for sale. 

The registration starts on 1st September and ends on 31st August every year, and registration expenses are primarily based on your previous financial year’s total importation and manufacture value. 

Before going for registration, introducers need to check whether all the ingredients in soap, are to be had in the Australian chemical inventory. if not then ingredients need to be registered.  

The registration obligation does not imply to those who make or buy soap for personal use, bought from local Australian shop, supplier, or manufacturer, and make soap and gift to family and friends or sell them for no profit. 

Click here to see more on compliance obligations for soap makers under AICIS. 

The Australian Department of Health (DOH) announced guidance for manufacturers and importers of chemicals that have an end-use in food-contact articles. The guidance shares six steps to categorize foo...

The Australian Department of Health (DOH) announced guidance for manufacturers and importers of chemicals that have an end-use in food-contact articles. The guidance shares six steps to categorize food-contact chemicals as “exempted”, “reported”, or “assessed”, while chemicals that are on their inventory are categorized as “listed”.

The guidance provides examples of food-contact articles such as food wrapping, food containers, coatings on the inside of food cans, and coatings on the insides of water storage tanks. However, chemicals used in cardboard, glass, or metal packaging that has no direct contact with food are not included in this scheme. Moreover, it classifies industrial chemicals introduced for an end-use in food-contact materials as a ‘specified class of introduction’ due to their potentials of migrating to food.

DOH shares the record-keeping obligations for exempted or reported introductions of a chemical for use in food-contact materials. The aim of the record-keeping, according to the DOH, is to ensure chemicals do not pose human health and environment hazard characteristics. The guidance requires to keep the following records in case the new substances have not been internationally evaluated for human health.

• Data approved by other national authorities for the use of the substance in food contact articles, if available
• Data on the possibility of the substance migrating to food