December 2024

Our annual shutdown period is almost here. We are closed from 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and will re-open on Thursday 2 January 2025. 

To AICIS stakeholders

2024 has been a year of progress, innovation and collaboration, and I’m proud to share some highlights with you.

Assessing the risks of industrial chemicals to Australians and our environment is a cornerstone of our work. It’s pleasing that this year, we completed 100% of assessments and evaluations within statutory timeframes. Our commitment to reducing the number of unassessed chemicals on the Inventory and providing information about their safe use charged ahead. We exceeded our target to evaluate at least 20% of the remaining unassessed chemicals on the Inventory by 30 June 2024.

A major achievement this year was the regulatory changes that came into effect in April through amendments to the Industrial Chemicals (General) Rules 2019 and Industrial Chemicals Categorisation Guidelines. To recap, some highlights:

• amendments to categorisation rules and guidelines to improve criteria and clarity of requirements
• streamlined reporting and record-keeping with more recognition of INCI names
• replacement of written undertakings with more practical set of records
• tightened requirements to prevent persistent organic pollutants from being categorised as very low or low risk, ensuring stricter control over these hazardous substances.

This was a notable example of dialogue, consultation and engagement between regulator and stakeholders. The result was more fit-for-purpose regulation to encourage compliance and bolster safeguards for health and the environment. I’d like to extend my gratitude and thanks to AICIS staff that made this possible and to our industry and community stakeholders who took part and gave feedback. Your insights help shape our analysis and decisions, and foster community trust in our processes.

As part of our commitment to continued improvement, we work hard to make sure introducers have easy access to information about rules and regulatory requirements. This year we improved the search function on our website and created new online self-guided decision tools for businesses. We also revised our guidance on categorising listed introductions to make the process clearer to follow.

As we turn our minds to 2025, I’m confident through our strong foundations and ongoing collaboration with you, that AICIS will continue to be a world-leading regulator of industrial chemicals. This is also made possible by the dedication and integrity of our people, and I say a big thank you to them.

On behalf of the entire AICIS team, I wish you a safe and restful holiday and thank you once again!

Regards

Graeme Barden