Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Amendment 2021

✦ Plain-English Summary

# Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Amendment 2021

## What it does
This law strengthens Australia's control over hazardous waste being sent overseas and brought in. It updates the 30-year-old rules to give environmental regulators better tools to track waste, issue permits, and enforce compliance.

## Why it matters
Australia ships hazardous waste to other countries, but weak oversight has meant some ends up in places with poor environmental protections—harming communities and ecosystems. Tighter rules mean more accountability and less waste going to dodgy operations.

## Key details
- **Permits and tracking**: Companies exporting or importing hazardous waste need clearer permits and must keep detailed records that regulators can access and check.
- **Penalties and enforcement**: The law introduces stronger civil penalties (fines) and offences for breaking the rules, making it riskier to cut corners.
- **Phased rollout**: Most changes happen when parliament sets a commencement date (within 6 months), so the new rules aren't in force immediately—giving businesses time to adjust.

Official Description

Amends the: Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 to: implement Australia's obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control or Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; apply the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014 and insert new audit powers; update existing criminal offences and introduce new strict liability offences and civil penalties to cover non-compliance relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste; increase penalties for offences relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste and introduce new aggravated offences where the non-compliance results in injury or damage to human beings or the environment; authorise information sharing between Commonwealth, state and territory governments; introduce recordkeeping requirements and information gathering powers to protect, use and disclose information; and replace the Hazardous Waste Technical Group with a requirement to consult with persons with appropriate expertise; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to make a consequential amendment.

Committee Referrals

Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee; Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills

Full bill PDF →APH page →

Audit History

Introduced

18 Mar 2021

Last updated on APH

10 Apr 2026

Outcome date

30 June 2021

Last checked by Crossbench

2 days ago

Full text indexed

2 days ago

🗳️

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