ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

The Joint Convention applies to spent fuel and radioactive waste resulting from civilian nuclear reactors and applications. It also applies to spent fuel and radioactive waste from military or defence programmes if and when such materials are transferred permanently to and managed within exclusively civilian programmes, or when declared as spent fuel or radioactive waste for the purpose of the Convention by the Contracting Party. The Convention also applies to planned and controlled releases into the environment of liquid or gaseous radioactive materials from regulated nuclear facilities.

Wastes from the mining and milling of uranium ores are subject to the Joint Convention. However, the Convention does not apply to waste that contains only naturally-occurring radioactive materials and that does not originate from the nuclear fuel cycle, unless it is declared as radioactive waste for the purposes of the Convention by Australia as a Contracting Party. Wastes containing only naturally-occurring radioactive materials that do not originate from the nuclear fuel cycle have not been declared as radioactive waste by Australia for the purposes of the Convention.

The obligations of Australia, as a Contracting Party, with respect to the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management include, in particular, the obligation to establish and maintain a legislative and regulatory framework to govern the safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste management and the obligation to ensure that individuals, society and the environment are adequately protected against radiological and other hazards, inter alia, by appropriate siting, design and construction of facilities and by making provisions for ensuring the safety of facilities both during their operation and after their closure. The Convention imposes obligations on Australia in relation to the transboundary movement of spent fuel and radioactive waste. Also, Australia has the obligation to take appropriate steps to ensure that disused sealed sources are managed safely.

Since its ratification in August 2003, Australia has submitted three National Reports to the review meetings for the Joint Convention.

The following documents relate to the Third Review Meeting of the Joint Convention held in Vienna from 11 to 20 May 2009:

• Australian National Report to the Joint Convention Third Review Meeting – October 2008
  PDF (475k) | RTF (1870k)
• Questions and answers on the Australian National Report – April 2009
  PDF (287k) | RTF (523k)
• Questions from Australia on other countries National Reports and answers to those questions – April 2009
  PDF (554k) | RTF (1068k)

The following documents relate to the Second Review Meeting of the Joint Convention held in Vienna from 15 to 24 May 2006:

• Australian National Report to the Joint Convention Second Review Meeting - October 2005 (PDF 576k)
• Questions and answers on the Australian National Report (PDF 210k)
• Questions from Australia on other countries National Reports and answers to those questions (PDF 163k)
• Summary Report on the Second Review Meeting of the Joint Convention (PDF 273k)

The First Review Meeting (PDF 371k) of the Joint Convention was held in Vienna from 3 to 14 November 2003.

Questions and Answers on the 2003 Australian National Report.

Set 1 (PDF 45k) Set 2 (PDF 58k) Set 3 (PDF 97k) Set 4 (PDF 185k)
Set 5 (PDF 30k) Set 6 (PDF 39k) Set 7 (PDF 25k) Set 8 (PDF 43k)

Additional information on the Joint Convention on Radioactive Waste Safety is available from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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