What it does
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (Cth) is the primary Commonwealth statute governing radiation protection and nuclear safety in Australia. Its stated object (section 3) is to protect the health and safety of people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation. It creates the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) as the federal regulator, establishes a two-tier licensing system for controlled facilities and controlled materials, and gives the regulator extensive powers of direction, inspection, and enforcement.
The Act applies specifically to "controlled persons": Commonwealth entities (and their employees), Commonwealth contractors performing work for Commonwealth entities, and persons in prescribed Commonwealth places. This limits the Act's direct application to the federal domain. State and territory regulation covers private sector radiation use. The Act complements the state and territory framework by providing national policy consistency through ARPANSA's advisory and coordination functions.
The Act expressly prohibits the construction or operation of nuclear fuel fabrication plants, nuclear power plants, enrichment plants, and reprocessing facilities (section 10). However, an amendment has created an exception for naval nuclear propulsion plants used in conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines (section 10(1A)).