The IAEA's Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) supports ARPANSA's ongoing implementation of international best practice
Australia is a respected partner in the international cooperation on nuclear safety and security. It maintains this position by a number of means, including sharing its knowledge and learning from international best practice. An IRRS mission is a valuable regulatory benchmarking exercise involving peer review by overseas experts against IAEA Safety Standards.
2018 mission
The most recent IRRS mission to Australia took place during 4-16 November 2018. The IRRS reviewed Australia’s national, legal and governmental framework for nuclear and radiation safety against the IAEA’s Safety Standards. This mission reviewed all Australian States and Territories, as well as the Commonwealth.
Under normal circumstances, Member States are expected to host a follow-up mission within four years of the original mission, to assess progress against the recommendations and suggestions. The follow-up mission has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is due to occur in October 2023.
The report contains four notes of good practices, 23 recommendations, and 12 suggestions for improvement. These are addressed to the various Australian governments and regulatory bodies.
For more information, please see the following documents:
- Summary of the IRRS mission in the ARPANSA news item from 16 November 2018
To prepare the IRRS team to review Australia’s regulatory framework, ARPANSA put together the Advance Reference Material (ARM). The ARM comprises information sorted by modules as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The ARM for the 2018 IRRS mission includes information from ARPANSA, other Australian Government agencies, and state and territory regulators. It is a valuable snapshot of Australia’s framework for radiation safety:
2007 mission and 2011 follow-up
An IRRS team undertook a full scope mission in Australia in 2007. This IAEA effort was an in-depth review of ARPANSA’s Regulatory Services Branch. A follow-up mission was then conducted in 2011, when a module on medical exposure and patient protection was introduced.
As a result of these two missions, there were 16 recommendations and suggestions that were closed out in January 2015. For more information, please see the following documents:
