Holders supplying chemical products to the marketplace should be aware of the requirements of Australian regulators (other than the APVMA) that may apply to the supply of chemical products. These requirements are regulated by other authorities and may include dangerous goods, hazardous chemicals, imported biological agents or genetically modified organisms.
Australian Dangerous Goods Code (National Transport Commission)
The Australian Dangerous Goods Code, as adopted by the states and territories, sets out, among other things, requirements for the labelling of chemicals that are classed as dangerous goods. These labelling requirements are referred to in the Labelling Codes. A panel on the label sets out how these requirements are conveyed.
The label content that is mandated by the Australian Dangerous Goods Code contributes to our assessment of ‘adequate instruction’ on an agvet chemical label—particularly in terms of handling information that is relevant during transport and storage. However, in the past we have based our satisfaction with this content on the fact that it is specifically regulated (and enforced) by a competent authority in each jurisdiction. We have therefore not specifically assessed this content in our approval of labels as this would involve regulatory duplication. In addition, the nature of the information and its presentation is such that there is little or no potential for it to conflict with or otherwise interact with the label requirements and instructions derived from our assessment of other aspects of occupational health and safety and the handling and management of the chemical.
Workplace labeling (Safe Work Australia)
The Work Health and Safety Regulations impose rules relating to hazardous chemicals that may be relevant. For example, the manufacturer or importer of a hazardous chemical must ensure that it is correctly labelled. Also, a supplier must not supply hazardous chemicals to a workplace if the hazardous chemicals are not correctly labelled.
Biological imports (the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)
Imported biological agents require a permit from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry before they can be brought into Australia.
Genetically modified organisms (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator)
For materials which consist of or contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and are regulated by APVMA, we seek advice from the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) on any application for approval of a GMO or the product of a GMO.
To have a GMO approved, the applicant must also address OGTR requirements for data for a risk analysis relating to the use of the GMO.
Drinking water guidelines for pesticides
The 2011 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) has been developed by National Health and Medical Research Council in collaboration with the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. The ADWG is designed to provide an authoritative reference to the Australian community and the water supply industry on what defines safe, good quality water, how it can be achieved and how it can be assured. The guidelines have been developed after consideration of the best available scientific evidence and provide a framework for good management of drinking water supplies to ensure safety at point of use. They address both the health and aesthetic quality aspects of supplying good quality drinking water.