A National Approach to the Management of Chemicals

National Framework for Chemicals Environmental Management (NChEM) 

In June 2007 EPHC endorsed the National Framework for Chemicals Environmental Management (NChEM), which includes:

• a Ministerial Agreement on Principles for Better Environmental Management of Chemicals, and

• a Chemicals Action Plan for the Environment.

The Ministerial Agreement demonstrates the commitment by Environment Ministers and their agencies to improve environmental aspects of Australia’s chemical management system.

The Ministerial Agreement and the Chemicals Action Plan for the Environment are available below. For any enquiries concerning the Ministerial Agreement and Chemicals Action Plan please contact the appropriate Chemicals Working Group member in your state or territory - contact details are available below. 

Risk Assessment Guidance Manuals

The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) regulates the introduction of new industrial chemicals into Australia, assesses existing industrial chemicals on a priority bases and assesses the potential occupational health and safety, public health and environmental risks associated with their introduction and use. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is responsible for the assessment, registration and regulation of pesticides and veterinary medicines. The Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) undertakes the environmental risk assessment for consideration in the overall assessment carried out by NICNAS and the APVMA.

The Guidance Manuals used by DEWHA for environmental risk assessments provide an overview of:

• the steps taken to carry out an environmental risk assessment on industrial and agvet chemicals, including lifecycle considerations
• what data are needed and how they are used
• nationally adopted criteria, such as Persistence/Bioaccumulation/Toxicity (PBT)
• how international considerations are taken into account, and
• how risk assessors come to their recommendations about environmental risk management actions.

The Guidance Manuals outline the current practice for conducting environmental risk assessment of industrial chemicals, pesticides and veterinary medicines in Australia.

The Guidance Manuals are available below.

NChEM Chemicals Action Plan for the Environment: 2007 - Progress Report

A report on the progress of the NChEM Chemicals Action Plan for the Environment: 2007 was accepted by EPHC on 5 July 2010. Key outcomes include the development of the implementation plans for COAG approval and commencement of projects under the plans. Significant progress was also made with the development of modules for the Environmental Controls Manual in most jurisdictions. A copy of the report can be downloaded from below.

Environmental Labelling – Completion of Stage One

In November 2008, COAG directed EPHC to examine costs and benefits of mandatory environmental labelling of chemicals to determine whether this would result in a net benefit to the community. Under current arrangements, labels for industrial chemicals, used in both the workplace and in domestic situations, do not require information on environmental hazards.

Stage One of this project, which involved the identification of possible voluntary and mandatory options for addressing any identified gaps in environmental labelling, has now been completed.

The report by Economics Associates can be downloaded from below.