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1. VIC - UPDATES ON ABRI ENGAGEMENT WITH VIC EPA + FURTHER VIC EPA GUIDANCE MATERIALS |
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Battery industry guidance – tentative session on Thursday 29 July
The Vic EPA is proposing an information session for the battery industry on the new environmental regulatory framework on the afternoon of Thursday 29 July. Further information will be sent to members when the session is finalised. The objective of the session will be to provide a general overview of the new requirements as they relate to batteries and to hear from the industry.
Using Waste Tracker – technical operational matters
The Vic EPA is assisting ABRI members with queries regarding implementation and operational concerns with waste tracker. If you have not reached out to the ABRI Secretariat and have questions that you would like answered, please send Katharine Hole an email at secretariat@batteryrecycling.org.au.
Updates on implementation of Vic Environmental Protection Act
The Vic EPA has released further guidance material, which includes information about how to manage risks, an overview of legal obligations and highlights parts of the Environmental Protection Act that may apply to business activities to complement risk management.
A list of all publications is available and ABRI members should check which ones apply to them. This list also covers procedural documents such as how to apply for some types of permissions and exemptions.
Guidance material which may be of interest includes:
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2. ABRI OFFER OF ASSISTANCE AND INDUSTRY EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL WASTE TRACKING SYSTEM |
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The NSW Government is leading action 5.10 of the National Waste Policy Action Plan (Develop a nationally consistent tracking and data system for the movement and stockpiling of hazardous and controlled wastes). The Government has prioritised this initiative as part of the NSW Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041.
ABRI has written to the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment offering ABRI’s support and industry expertise to prioritise implementation of a national system. A copy of the ABRI letter is available.
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3. QLD FUNDING FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND RESOURCE RECOVERY |
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The Qld Government Industry Partnership Program will invest $350 million to support jobs across a number of priority industry sectors such as advanced manufacturing, hydrogen, biofutures, biomedical, defence, aerospace, space, resource recovery and METS.
Under the Program, incentives can be non-financial and financial with assistance packages developed specifically to suit each project. The range of assistance may include:
- case management for individual high-value and complex projects to assist with facilitating approval processes, whole-of-government liaison and coordination of infrastructure requirements
- leveraging government assets such as infrastructure and land, and considering rental assistance
- leveraging government procurement where appropriate by entering into product supply and offtake arrangements
- supply chain coordination and assistance, such as business capability development, business and supplier matching
- leveraging external co-funding programs to maximise support available to projects
- advocacy such as policy and strategy development, major project development, government liaison, marketing and promotion, and research
- fiscal incentives such as payroll tax reimbursements and relief from other State fees and charges
- financial incentives such as cash reimbursement grants, interest-free or concessional loans.
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4. REMINDER - JOINT ABRI/CSIRO WORKSHOP (28 JULY) TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR CHARACTERISING BATTERIES TO INFORM POLICY AND REGULATION |
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A reminder that ABRI/CSIRO are running a workshop (28 July, 10am to 12pm) to develop a framework to group batteries by their characteristics and risks to support delivery of circular economy, environmental and safety policy objectives.
A range of stakeholders from the automotive, battery recycling and electronic product sectors are attending as well as government representatives from NZ, the Australian Government and states and territories.
Please register via zoom if you are interested in attending. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
A further output of this project will be to inform the research needs and solutions work proposed by CSIRO in Australian Landscape for Lithium Ion Battery Recycling and Reuse in 2020 – Current Status, Gap Analysis and Industry Perspectives. In that publication, CSIRO recommended undertaking research and solutions for battery fire safety risks during collection, transportation and storage.
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5. UPDATES FROM THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMMISSION |
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ANZ-ERG2021
The NTC is currently taking pre-orders for the ANZ-ERG2021. The ANZ-ERG is an updated version of the AEG2018 and is based on the latest version of the CANUTEC Emergency Response Guidebook.
To assist duty holders and emergency services ensure they have the most current version, Canprint is offering a discounted price of $10 + GST per copy for pre-orders. To take advantage of this offer, you can download a copy of the from the NTC dangerous goods webpage. Completed order forms should be emailed to Debra Kirk . Please note that:
- Electronic copies of the ANZ-ERG will be free to download from the NTC website once the final document has been Approved by the Competent Authorities Panel
- Postage and handling is an extra cost
This offer will close on 31 August 2021. After that time, copies will be available at the standard Canprint retail price. There is no limit on the number of copies you can pre-order.
Reminder – survey on mandatory escape respirators for placard loads (due 31 July)
A reminder that members who wish to do so need to complete by 31 July, the National Transport Commission (NTC) survey which is gathering information on mandatory escape respirators for placard loads containing Division 2.3, Division 6.1 or Class 8 dangerous goods.
The information gathered through the survey will assist the NTC in the comprehensive review of the ADG Code.
You can help by disseminating the survey and encouraging fleet owners in your network to complete it.
You can complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/56DJPGP Links to the survey are also available on the NHVR Portal and the NTC project page under ‘Get involved’.
Further information on the ADG Code review is available on the NTC project page.
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6. FESTIVAL IDEAS OF TIMING - 25 AUGUST - ANY COMMENTS |
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Given COVID restrictions across many states, the Festival of Ideas will not be brought forward.
The Members General Meeting will progress as originally planned on 25 August. Further details will follow shortly.
The Festival of Ideas will be rescheduled for later in the year with a focus on ABRI’s strategic direction and discussion on additional member service offerings.
Please reach out to Katharine Hole, CEO, with views or suggestions as to the timing and focus of the Festival. Katharine’s email is secretariat@batteryrecycling.org.au
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