Quarterly Report of the Chief Executive Officer of ARPANSA - April to June 2026
Letter of transmittal
11 September 2026
The Hon Rebecca White MP
Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Minister
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (the Act) requires the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) to submit to the Minister, at the end of each quarter, a report on:
- the operations during the quarter of the CEO, ARPANSA, the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council (the Council), the Nuclear Safety Committee (the NSC) and the Radiation Health Committee (the RHC)
- details of directions given by the Minister to the CEO under section 16 of the Act
- details of directions given by the CEO under section 41 of the Act
- details of improvement notices given by inspectors under section 80A of the Act
- details of any breach of licence conditions by a licensee, of which the CEO is aware
- details of all reports received by the CEO from the Council and the NSC under Part 4, paragraphs 20(f) or 26(1)(d) of the Act
- a list of all facilities licensed under Part 5 of the Act.
I am pleased to provide you with a report, meeting the requirements of the Act, covering the period 1 April - 30 June 2026.
Please note that subsection 60(6) of the Act requires you to cause a copy of the report to be laid before each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of the day on which this report was given to you.
Yours sincerely
Dr Gillian Hirth AO
CEO of ARPANSA
The operations of the CEO and ARPANSA
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. Our purpose is to protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.
News from the quarter
Launch of the Australian Government Radiological and Nuclear Events Plan
ARPANSA launched the Australian Government Radiological and Nuclear Events Plan (AUSRNEPLAN), which sets out the national arrangements for responding to radiological and nuclear emergencies. The plan clarifies ARPANSA's role in coordinating the Australian Government's response, supporting communication between agencies, and providing specialist technical advice during an emergency.
Read more: www.arpansa.gov.au/new-australian-government-radiological-and-nuclear-events-plan-launched
Antarctic visit
ARPANSA staff travelled to Antarctica aboard icebreaking research supply vessel ‘Nuyina’ to carry out routine maintenance on the agency’s radiation monitoring equipment. The monitoring equipment forms part of an international network that helps track radiation levels.
Read more: www.arpansa.gov.au/arpansa-aboard-antarctic-research-ship
Research
ARPANSA scientists co-authored an international study with researchers from the United States Environmental Protection Agency examining the impact of ozone depletion on skin cancer rates in Australia and the United States. The research found that factors such as skin type, sun protection behaviours, public health initiatives and geography play a much larger role in influencing skin cancer rates than ozone depletion. These findings provide valuable evidence to support ongoing skin cancer prevention efforts.
Read more: www.arpansa.gov.au/ozone-depletion-has-small-effect-sun-related-diseases-international-study-finds
ARPANSA participated in the BioEM Conference in Cairns, a leading international forum focused on research into the health effects of electromagnetic energy. ARPANSA representatives contributed to scientific discussions, shared research insights and engaged with experts from around the world about the latest developments in electromagnetic energy research.
Read more: www.arpansa.gov.au/eme-conference-starts-cairns
The operations of the Council and Committees
Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council
The Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council (the Council) did not meet during this quarter.
Minutes of previous Council meetings are available on the website (www.arpansa.gov.au/rhsac).
The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for the 21 – 22 July 2026.
Reports to the CEO from the Council under paragraph 20(f) of the Act
There were no reports or statements issued from the Council during this period. Previous statements are available on the website (www.arpansa.gov.au/rhsac).
Radiation Health Committee
The Radiation Health Committee (the RHC) met on 17 – 18 June 2026 in Yallambie.
The RHC discussed items including: the revision of Radiation Protection Series documents; particularly a: radioactive waste management code of practice; non-medical human imaging code of practice; diagnostic and interventional radiology guide; radiation therapy guide; and X-ray equipment code of practice. It also discussed the Australian Environmental Radiation Monitoring and Assessment Program (RADMAP-Aus) and the ongoing review of clinical guidelines for radiological emergencies; the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Diagnostic Imaging Accreditation scheme standards; and a national glossary of terms in radiation protection.
The RHC discussed jurisdictional regulatory issues, including: approaches to radiation regulation and radiological safety assessments; the recognition of diagnostic computed tomography (CT) competencies that are included in Nuclear Medicine Technologist degree programs; radiation shielding standards; national workforce competency requirements for the safe use of radiation sources; opportunities for interlaboratory cooperation through the Australian Radioanalytical Laboratory Network; and, revision of the National Directory for Radiation Protection.
The RHC also discussed emerging issues, including: the increasing use of theranostics; the remote operation of CT scanners; the potential rising use of fluoroscopy during pain management procedures; the remote operation of CT scanners; the estimation of internal alpha dose; and low cost very hazardous lasers marketed directly to consumers online.
Minutes of previous RHC meetings are available on the website (www.arpansa.gov.au/rhc). The next meeting of the RHC is scheduled for 2 September 2026.
Nuclear Safety Committee
The Nuclear Safety Committee (NSC) met online on 3 June 2026.
The Committee received updates on: ARPANSA activities; major controlled facilities; regulatory actions; and radioactive waste management initiatives. The committee discussed progress on actions arising from a previously issued improvement notice relating to the ANSTO Actinide Suite, and the issuing of a Direction to ANSTO under section 41 of the Act. The Committee also supported the ongoing development of a national radioactive waste management code of practice and development of the national glossary of terms and provided advice on strengthening ARPANSA’s implementation of a graded approach to regulation.
The minutes of NSC meetings are available on the ARPANSA website (www.arpansa.gov.au/nsc). The next meeting of the NSC is scheduled for November 2026 in Melbourne.
Reports to the CEO from the NSC under paragraph 26(1)(d) of the Act
There were no reports to the CEO from the NSC during this period. Previous statements are available on the website (www.arpansa.gov.au/about-us/advisory-council-and-committees/nuclear-safety-committee/advice-and-reports).
Details of directions given by the Minister under section 16 of the Act
No directions were given by the Minister under section 16 of the Act.
Details of directions given by the CEO under section 41 of the Act
There was one Direction given by the CEO under section 41 of the Act to ANSTO Waste Operations.
The Direction relates to the safety of operations at a building on ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus used to store radioactive waste generated from past production of nuclear medicines at ANSTO between 1971 and 2007 and was a result of ARPANSA losing confidence that ANSTO management plans and arrangements for the building adequately address all risks. The Direction is not related to the Open-pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) nuclear reactor.
Further information is available on the ARPANSA website: http://www.arpansa.gov.au/arpansa-issues-regulatory-enforcement-direction-ansto.
Details of improvement notices given by inspectors under section 80A of the Act
No improvement notices were issued under section 80A of the Act.
Details of any breach of licence conditions by a licensee
There were no breaches with significant safety or security implications during this quarter.
One breach was confirmed this quarter with no significant safety or security implications:
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment, Energy and Resources failed to comply with condition 2 of its source licence by failing to maintain an accurate inventory, which is considered an administrative breach.
Facilities licensed under Part 5 of the ARPANS Act
No facilities were licensed this quarter under Part 5 of the ARPANS Act.
Details of inspections and licence holder compliance
Inspection report summaries, areas for improvement and learnings are shared on the ARPANSA website to provide transparency around our regulatory activities and inform licence holders of common issues, potential strategies to address their causes, and lessons to be learned.
Further information is available: www.arpansa.gov.au/regulation-and-licensing/licensing/information-for-licence-holders/inspections/inspection-outcomes.
