Meeting Summary—30 October 2015
Mascot, NSW
Opening of Meeting 
All members were present. The Chair (Dr Tamie Weaver) welcomed members to the meeting. 
Confirmation of the Minutes
The minutes of the last meeting, held on 19 June 2015, were agreed subject to some minor clarifications and corrections.
Correspondence
There were no items of correspondence.
Business Arising
The Committee undertook to provide the CEO with a letter of advice with their recommendations for regulation of an expanded nuclear industry, should a government be minded to allow or promote nuclear facilities currently not in operation in Australia. 
Main Items for Discussion
Amendment of the ARPANS Act
The Committee was informed that the revised Act was entered into force on the 8th October 2015. An explanatory memorandum with the main changes was provided to the Committee.  Details of the changes are available via links from the ARPANSA website. 
South Australian Government Nuclear Fuel Royal Cycle Commission
The Committee was told that ARPANSA’s Dr Stephen Solomon gave evidence to the Commission regarding the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident and that Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson gave evidence regarding the effects of radiation on people and the environment.  Mr Peter Wilkinson (member of NSC) also gave evidence to the Commission regarding safety culture and risk management of low probability - high consequence industries other than nuclear.
National Radioactive Waste Management
The Committee was informed that an announcement of short listed sites for the location of the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility was expected in the near future. It is expected that 6-8 sites will be identified.
Trusted International Standards
The Committee discussed ARPANSA’s project to systematically update the suite of nuclear and radiological safety guidance publications used in Australia in line with Government policy of using trusted international standards.  Where a system, service or product has been approved under a trusted international standard or risk assessment, then Australian regulators should not, without good reason, impose any additional requirements for approval in Australia.
Australian jurisdictions have agreed to refer to the standards and guidance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as International Best Practice, and to use these to the extent possible for nationally uniform radiation regulation. The Committee considered how IAEA standards and guidance can be implemented in practice. A number of recommendations were made regarding the structure and format of the trusted international standards and how these could most effectively update or replace existing Australian codes and guidance. 
Regulation Review of OPAL Reactor Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs)
The Committee gave feedback on an ARPANSA review of proposed OPAL reactor safety performance indicators. The Committee noted the review had assessed the proposed SPIs against the guidance of the IAEA and Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The Committee recommended that this be broadened to consider guidance from other high hazard industries. The chemical and defence industries were specifically mentioned as having relevant guidance on SPIs.  ARPANSA accepted this recommendation and agreed to update its review.
Update on Controlled Facilities
Regulatory Performance Data and Analysis of Regulatory Delivery Model
ARPANSA provided the Committee with a report of a review of the first six months of implementing a new inspection program. The review had found that, overall, the inspection programme was effective in its aim of identifying compliance and performance issues and good practices, all of which provide learning opportunities for licence holders.  ARPANSA’s performance measures relating to the programme have been met and some recommendations had been made to improve the inspection programme further.
The Committee requested ongoing information on the general inspection findings in subsequent meetings. In response to one area that had been identified for improvement, the Committee considered that training of inspectors in cross-cutting areas (e.g. safety culture) and using scenario-based learning was important to ensure all were comfortable and consistent in the revised delivery model approach. The Committee considered that the intention to publish a report on general inspection outcomes, common performance deficiencies and good practices would provide a useful product for licence holders and also for the general public in terms of ARPANSA’s commitment to ongoing transparency and open communication. 
Update on Controlled Facilities
The Committee was briefed on and discussed operational aspects of controlled facilities.  Nine inspections had been undertaken at facilities by ARPANSA staff, each in accordance with ARPANSA’s new regulatory delivery model.  The associated reports are available on the ARPANSA website.  The committee was also briefed on forthcoming and current applications.
Reports
Report on ARPANSA’s activities
The CEO provided a brief summary of ARPANSA’s activities, most of which had been discussed previously. 
Report on the Radiation Health Committee (RHC)
The Representative of the RHC informed the Committee of a RHC meeting on 24 June 2015. The minutes of the RHC meeting are available on the ARPANSA website.
Information on Nuclear Safety Matters
A number of reports on ARPANSA’s international engagement were provided to the Committee for information but were not discussed during the meeting 
Other Business
The CEO and Chairperson each thanked Dr Barbara Shields, who had resigned from the committee, for her valued contribution to both the NSC and RHC. The CEO noted that Dr Shields had attended every NSC meeting since 1999 and that her contribution would be sorely missed. The Committee echoed these views and wished Dr Shields all the best in her retirement.
Closure of Meeting
The meeting closed at 4pm. The NSC will next convene on 18 March 2016.