ARPANSA has recently made amendments to the 2018 Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations.
These Regulations apply to all Commonwealth regulated entities, including the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Department of Defence and others.
‘The latest set of amendments include simplified application fees, updated requirements and clearer definitions,’ said Jim Scott, ARPANSA’s Chief Regulatory Officer.
‘These will help our licence holders fulfil their obligations and will continue to support our vision of a safe radiation environment for the Australian community,’ said Mr Scott.
Effective from Saturday 6 March 2021, the amendments include:
- Simplification of source licence application fees by removing the calculation based on the number of sources.
- Introduction of cost-recovered application fees for complex facilities, including an hourly rate, to reflect the true cost of assessment.
- Revision of the definition of non-ionising radiation-controlled apparatus to capture a broader range of apparatus.
- Amendment of Section 44 to exempt certain lasers, optical fibre systems and klystrons from licensing requirements where they pose a very low radiation risk.
- Amendment of Section 58 to require licence holders to proactively review and update their plans and arrangements for managing safety following a previous incident.
You can view the full explanatory statement for the amendments on the Federal Register for Legislation.
