Ozone

Pre-charged equipment licences

Equivalent carbon price for synthetic greenhouse gases
From 1 July 2012, an equivalent carbon price will be applied to certain synthetic greenhouse gases - hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons (excluding gases produced from aluminium smelting) and sulfur hexafluoride (including equipment or products which contain these gases).

Australia bans the import of HCFC pre-charged airconditioners
Since 18 May 2011 , the import of most airconditioning equipment containing HCFC or designed to operate on HCFCs have been denied entry unless the equipment is exempt under the Regulations.

Do you need a pre-charged equipment licence?

A pre-charged equipment licence is required to import into Australia refrigeration and/or airconditioning equipment that contains a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) or hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerant. HFCs and HCFCs are damaging to the environment as they are ozone depleting substances (ODSs) and synthetic greenhouse gases (SGGs).

A pre-charged equipment licence may be required even if the airconditioner or refrigeration equipment is incorporated into another object, e.g. a car, caravan, or another vehicle (including earth moving equipment). It is an offence under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 to import pre-charged equipment without a licence.

Expiry date of PCE licences

Current licences valid for the set 2010-11 licence period expire on 31 December 2011.

Since 18 May 2011, when amendments to the Act came into force, all regular pre-charged equipment licences that were granted on and after this date will generally expire two years from the date on which the licence is granted, unless a shorter date is specified. Licences issued before 18 May 2011 for the 2010-11 period will still expire on 31 December 2011.

Please note: If a licence application was received before the 18th May 2011, and was granted before 18 May 2011, then the licence will only be valid until 31 December 2011 and the full licence application fees will still apply.

PCE licences for one-off, low volume imports that qualify for a partial fee waiver expire fourteen days after the equipment arrives OR fourteen days after the issue of the licence, whichever is the latest.

Licence application fee

The standard licence application fee for regular importers of pre-charged equipment is $3000.

Do you qualify for a PCE licence for a one-off, low volume import?

One-off importers planning to import up to five pieces of equipment arriving in one consignment and containing less than 10Kg of gas in total may be eligible for a partial waiver of the licence application fee. The partial waiver reduces the application fee from $3000 to $400, with the licence expiring fourteen days after the equipment arrives OR fourteen days after the issue of the licence, whichever is the latest. A partial fee waiver is only available once every two years.

Please note that application fees are not refundable.

Frequently asked questions

For more information about whether a pre-charged equipment licence is needed in your circumstances see:

Required information and supporting documentation

When applying for a licence or exemption under the Act, you will be required to provide supporting documentation and detailed information about yourself and your organisation (if applicable), as well as information about the proposed activity (e.g. import, export or manufacture of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) or Synthetic Greenhouse Gases (SGGs) whether incorporated into equipment or in cylinders).

Please see below to obtain a summary of information you will need to complete the application form, and a list of supporting documentation you must submit with your application.

Application form

Normally, the department will aim to process applications within 2 weeks of receiving a fully completed application form including all supporting documentation and payment of the licence fee. However, the statutory timeframes of the Act stipulates that department may take up to 60 days to process an application.

Applications should be lodged as early as possible, prior to the proposed goods being imported.

Transferring a 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 (Transferor) who wishes to transfer their licence to you (Transferee), a joint application for a transfer of a licence from the current licence holder to another person can be made. The department will not impose any application fee on you to complete the transfer although the new licensee (the Transferee) will still be required to pay the licence levies and report on a quarterly basis.

For further information please contact the Licensing Officer on +61 2 6274 1373 or ozone@environment.gov.au.

Joint application to transfer a licence

Quarterly reporting and levy requirements

Holders of a pre-charged equipment licence are required to provide quarterly reports to the minister and pay a levy based on the quantity of scheduled substances imported.

The levy is $3000 per ozone depleting potential (ODP) tonne for HCFCs and $165 per tonne for SGGs.

Reports may be lodged at any time before the 15th day following the end of each reporting period (including at any time during the relevant reporting period).

If no imports or exports were made during a reporting period, a 'nil' report is still required.

Reporting Period Reports Due
1 January - 31 March 15 April
1 April - 30 June 15 July
1 July - 30 September 15 October
1 October - 31 December 15 January

Quarterly Report Form

The department cross-checks information provided on quarterly reports with data provided by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Inaccurate reporting and late submissions are offences under the Act.

If you have any questions about reporting you may contact the Reporting Officer on +61 2 6274 1740.

More information

For more information please contact the Ozone and Synthetic Gas Team on:
Phone: +61 2 6274 1373 or +61 2 6274 1740
Email: ozone@environment.gov.au

Licences & reporting

Import, export and manufacture of ODS and SGG

Licences

Application & reporting

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