Published Impact Analyses

Post implementation Review – Department of the Environment

COAG Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) – Australian Building Codes Board

On 26 February 2015, the Australian Building Codes Board agreed to develop a non-regulatory handbook documenting measures aimed at providing safe, dignified and independent egress in an emergency for all occupants for reference and use on a case-by-case basis by State, Territory and Local Governments and the building industry. The ABCB was compliant with the COAG RIS requirements, preparing adequate RISs at the consultation and decision-making stages. The Decision RIS was published on the ABCB website on 26 March 2015.

COAG Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – Medical Board of Australia

Department of Health

Department of Agriculture

Department of Employment

On 25 February 2015 the Minister for Employment and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women jointly announced changes to gender reporting requirements for employers with more than 100 employees. The current gender reporting framework provides for individual organisations to monitor, reflect upon and improve their own gender equality performance. The announced changes remove some of the requirements in relation to reporting by organisations. The changes mean that employers will not be required to provide data on:

On 29 October 2014 the Government introduced the Civil Law and Justice Legislation Amendment Bill 2014. A part of this Bill changes the legal deposit requirements. Legal deposit is a requirement under section 201 of the Copyright Act 1968 that publishers deposit a copy of library material to the National Library of Australia (NLA).  This requirement currently applies to material that is in print form, published in Australia, and in which copyright subsists. The proposal will enable the NLA to meet its statutory function of providing a comprehensive collection of publications relating to Australia and the Australian people. Currently if a publisher publishes relevant documents in digital-only form they do not need to deposit that material with the NLA.

COAG Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – COAG Disability Reform Council

On 5 March 2015, the Australian Government amended the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Regulations 1995 in relation to stock food and pet food. The reforms will see lower risk stock foods and pet foods excluded from pre-market assessment and registration by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) providing they meet certain requirements relating to claims, labels, manufacture and ingredients. A Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) analysed options for reform of the regulations and recommended self-determination by industry to better align regulatory effort with risks. The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) has agreed to regulatory cost savings of $7.8 million per annum. The RIS was prepared by the Department of Agriculture and assessed as compliant and consistent with best practice by the OBPR.

On 28 November 2013 the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) agreed to introduce a requirement in the Building Code of Australia to require interconnection of smoke alarms in dwellings and sole-occupancy units.  This change took effect from 1 May 2014. The Building Code of Australia (BCA), which is part of the National Construction Code (NCC) series, requires smoke alarms, a smoke alarm system or a smoke detection system to be installed throughout new Class 1 dwellings, within sole-occupancy units of Class 2 or 3 buildings and in a Class 4 part of a building (buildings in which occupants sleep). Smoke alarms installed to comply with the BCA provisions are required to be located in strategic positions such as hallways serving bedrooms, in order to facilitate an early response by occupants to a fire within a dwelling.