Pre-charged equipment licences Frequently Asked Questions
July 2009
When is a pre-charged equipment licence required?
A pre-charged equipment licence is required to import refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment that contains a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrochloroflurocarbon (HCFC). A pre-charged equipment licence is required even if the air-conditioning or refrigeration system is incorporated into another object, e.g. a car, caravan, earth moving equipment, yacht, vending or ice making machine, ice cream maker, air conditioner or refrigerator. A licence is required by all importers of pre-charged equipment, no matter what the number of units or amount of gas in the units being imported. To import pre-charged equipment without a licence is an offence under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989.
Is a pre-charged equipment licence required to import a car?
When importing a car you need to consider the following:
- Is the car coming in with the rest of your personal effects? If you owned and used the car overseas and you can provide evidence of this, you may not need a pre-charged equipment licence.
- How old is the car? If the car was manufactured in 1990s or earlier, the air conditioner may be designed to run on a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). If this is the case, all CFCs and air conditioning components must be removed prior to arrival in Australia.
- Has the fluorocarbon refrigerant been removed from the car’s air conditioning system? If the refrigerant has been removed from the car and you can provide evidence of this, you may not need a pre-charged equipment licence.
For further information talk to your broker or contact the compliance, enforcement and licensing team on +61 2 6274 1237 or ozone@environment.gov.au.
How do I obtain a pre-charged equipment licence?
You need to submit a completed application to the Compliance, Enforcement and Licensing Team in the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. A pre-charged equipment licence application form can be obtained online or from the licensing coordinator on +61 2 6274 1237 or ozone@environment.gov.au.
The application must be accompanied by the correct application fee.
What is the pre-charged equipment licence application fee?
The application fee for a regular importer is $3000. If you are a once-off importer planning to import a small amount of equipment you may be eligble for a partial waiver of the application fee. The partial waiver would reduce the application fee from $3000 to $400.
How do I know if I am a regular importer or a low volume importer?
To determine whether you are a regular importer or a low volume importer, you should consider the following questions. You will be asked these questions in the pre-charged equipment licence application form:
- Do you intend to import refrigeration or air conditioning equipment in more than one consignment?
- Do you intend to import more than five units of refrigeration or air conditioning equipment?
- Will the total fluorocarbon refrigerant charge contained in the refrigeration or air conditioning equipment be more than 10 kilograms?
- Have you been granted a partial waiver of the pre-charged equipment licence application fee in the last two years?
If you answer yes to any of the above four questions, then you may not qualify as a low volume importer. Rather, you are considered to be a regular importer and will be required to pay an application fee of $3000.
If you answer no to all four questions, then you may be eligible for the partial waiver of the application fee.
Are there any other fees?
In addition to the application fee, importers are required to pay a licence levy. The levy is calculated on the amount and type of flurocarbon refrigerant contained in the equipment to be imported.
| Type of Refrigerant | Fee |
|---|---|
| Hydrochloroflurocarbon (HCFC) | $3000 per ODP* tonne |
| Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) | $165 per metric tonne |
* ODP—Ozone Depleting Potential
Is GST payable on the fees?
No GST is payable on pre-charged equipment licence application or levy fees.
When do I pay the pre-charged equipment licence levy?
The timing of payment differs depending on whether you are a regular importer or a low volume importer.
Regular importers must pay the licence levy by the 15th day following the end of each quarter. E.g. Quarter 1 covers the period 1 January 2009 to 31 March 2009 and the levy is due by 15 April 2009. By lodging a quarterly report you will know how much levy is due.
Low volume, once-off importers must pay the licence levy at the time of the application. That is, low volume importers must pay all fees up front.
How do I pay the pre-charged equipment licence fees?
The pre-charged equipment licence application fee and levies can either be paid by cheque or by electronic funds transfer (EFT). All payments must identify your company name and/or licence number.
EFT payments should be made to:
Account Title: The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Bank/Branch: Reserve Bank of Australia, Canberra
BSB: 092009
Account Number: 115859
Cheque payments should be made to:
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
What happens to the fees collected for the pre-charged equipment licence?
Application fees are paid to the department and into a special account within the consolidated revenue fund. They do not attract GST and are used solely for the purposes prescribed in the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (the Act). These include the administration of the Act, assessment and processing of licence applications and assisting in the transition to more environmentally desirable substances.
How long will it take to process my application for a pre-charged equipment licence?
Normally a pre-charged equipment licence application will take two weeks to process.
How do I participate in an approved product stewardship scheme?
Pre-charged equipment licensees, who are not low volume, once-off importers, are required to hold membership with an approved product stewardship scheme. Currently, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) is the only approved scheme in Australia and they charge a membership fee.
Funds paid to RRA are set aside for the recovery and safe disposal of waste flurocarbon refrigerants at the end of the equipment life or when gases are recovered that are too contaminated to re-use or re-claim.
RRA can be contacted via:
Post: GPO Box 753 Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: +61 2 6230 5244
Fax: +61 2 6230 4533
Email: info@refrigerantreclaim.com.au
Web: www.refrigerantreclaim.com.au
Can I use another person’s licence?
It is a condition of all licences that the licensee does not allow another person or business to use their licence number.
If you can identify a current licence holder who wishes to transfer their licence to you, a joint application for a transfer of a licence from the licensee to another person (the transferee) can be made. The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts will not impose any application fee on you to complete the transfer although the new licensee will still be required to pay the licence levies on a quarterly basis.
A list of the current licence holders is available here.
For further information talk to your broker or contact the compliance, enforcement and licensing team on +61 2 6274 1237 or ozone@environment.gov.au.
How long is my licence valid for?
For low volume importers, a pre-charged equipment licence will commence from the date it is issued and expire five days after issue or five days after the equipment is imported, whichever is the latest.
For regular importers, the licence stays in force until the end of the licence period in which it is granted, unless it is cancelled, or stops being in force for any other reason, before then. The current licence period is 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009.
Who can I contact with any further questions?
You can contact the Compliance, Enforcement and Licensing Team in the Ozone and Synthetic Gas Section, using the following details:
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT AUSTRALIA 2601
Ph: +61 2 6274 1237
Fax: +61 2 6274 1610
Email: ozone@environment.gov.au
Licences
Pre-charged Equipment Licences
Refrigeration and air-conditioning
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