The objective of the Standing Committee on Chemicals (the Committee) is to achieve an effective and efficient national system of chemicals and plastics regulation.
On 7 December 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on chemicals and plastics, which established a new national governance framework to help achieve a streamlined and harmonised national regulatory system and ultimately reduce the regulatory burden on business. The Committee is part of the new governance framework. The Committee is responsible to COAG and will usually report through the Business Regulation and Competition Working Group (BRCWG).
These web pages aim to provide stakeholders with information and access to key documents relating to chemicals regulatory activities together with information on the outcomes from Committee meetings.
On 13 February 2011, COAG agreed to enhanced reporting arrangements for the Committee:
to help drive momentum, facilitate reporting by the COAG Reform Council and scrutiny by stakeholders. The Standing Committee on Chemicals will report to each meeting of the BRCWG on progress against each of the Productivity Commission (PC) recommended reforms, the extent to which reform outcomes have or are being achieved and, where appropriate, will make recommendations aimed at resolving implementation issues and/or ensuring reform outcomes are achieved. Information provided on reform progress will be released publicly after each meeting to enhance transparency.
2011-2012 Work Plan
At its meeting on 11 August 2011, the Committee agreed to its 2011-2012 annual work plan [
PDF 41KB] [
RTF 230KB]. The work plan will inform the work of the Committee over the next 12 months.
Progress Reports
The fifth progress report was prepared as at 15 March 2012 on the 30 PC reforms against implementation plan milestones under the enhanced reporting arrangements [PDF 71KB] [
DOC 64KB].
Previous progress reports are also available:
Reports
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The Standing Committee on Chemicals Secretariat’s Review of Chemicals and Plastics Regulation Reform [PDF 229KB] [ DOC 394KB] was provided to the BRCWG Secretariat on 30 November 2011. It included an analysis of the progress made to date in implementing the 30 PC recommended reforms and proposed several options to progress these reforms within the life of the Seamless National Economy National Partnership Agreement (SNE NP).
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At the 13 April 2012 COAG meeting COAG endorsed recommendations agreed by BRCWG informed by the Standing Committee on Chemicals Secretariat’s Review of Chemicals and Plastics Regulation Reform.
Committee Members and Role
The Committee members include:
The Committee’s role is to:
- co-ordinate the implementation of the new governance framework for the regulation of chemicals and plastics.
- monitor the timeliness, effectiveness and consistency of reforms of chemicals and plastics regulation.
- provide advice and make recommendations as appropriate to BRCWG, COAG and relevant ministerial councils on how chemicals and plastics policy initiatives that have cross-portfolio or cross-jurisdictional implications might be best progressed.
- provide an ongoing forum for assessing the consistency of chemicals-specific policy settings across the relevant policy areas, including: public health; workplace health and safety; transport safety; environment protection; and national security.
- oversee a coordinated national approach to regulatory reform of chemicals and plastics and the consistent application of chemical hazard and risk-assessment methodologies and international standards such as the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
- support the coordinated development of regulatory proposals that have cross-portfolio implications, including the conduct of regulatory impact assessments.
The Secretariat to the Committee can be contacted via email scocsecretariat@innovation.gov.au.