15 May 2026
ARPANSA has taken regulatory action and issued the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) a Direction under section 41 of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (the Act), in relation to the safety of operations at one of the buildings on its Lucas Heights campus, that stores radioactive waste.
The building is used to store waste generated from past production of nuclear medicines at ANSTO between 1971 and 2007 and is not related to the Open-pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) nuclear reactor.
ARPANSA has been engaging with ANSTO to monitor the management of this waste over many years and ARPANSA is no longer confident that ANSTO’s management plans and arrangements for this building comprehensively address potential risks. A recent investigation found four breaches of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulations 2018.
This regulatory action is precautionary to reduce the risk of an incident occurring in the future. There has not been any evidence of detrimental impact to the environment, ANSTO workers, or the community from the facility.
The Direction was issued on 22 April 2026 and requires ANSTO to:
- prepare contingency plans in case of an incident at the building,
- undertake a full risk assessment and update its Safety Analysis Report,
- appoint an independent review team to undertake an independent safety and risk review, and provide recommendations; and
- prepare a program to address any findings and recommendations.
Each of these actions must be completed within specified timeframes and progress reported to ARPANSA.
It is ARPANSA’s role to regulate relevant Commonwealth agencies, to ensure licence holders take responsibility for protection of people and the environment, from the harmful effects of radiation.
ARPANSA will continue to engage with ANSTO to ensure safe and secure management of this waste.
