UNE Compliance Register
This Register lists the compliance drivers (Commonwealth, NSW and international laws and other statutory instruments, and industry, community and ethical standards and codes) that impact on University activities and operations, to the extent that the University has some obligation of compliance or accountability.
The currently documented drivers are listed below in alpha-order by title. Click on the title to access a detailed overview. You can also search the register to find all of the compliance drivers and obligations relevant to your activities and the people who can help with your compliance responsibilities.
Note: the Register is being continually enhanced, with drivers and obligations added and amended as required.
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The EPA encourages pesticide users to improve their management of pesticides through education programs and by facilitating communication among different stakeholder groups.
The NSW Poisons List, which is proclaimed under Section 8 of the Act, is based on the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) as in force at any time (except for a small number of variations).The Poisons List comprises eight schedules which categorise substances according to their classification (e.g. S4, S8). The classification system is based upon managing availability of substances eg- substances that may be dangerous if carelessly managed or misused and substances that may produce an addiction will have differing classification, supply, handling and storage requirements to those whose availability may be required more quickly for therapeutic purposes.
The Act impacts on the University in a variety of ways including but not limited to the University's research activities, teaching activities, delivery of health services and in the storage of chemicals throughout the University.
a. Personal information the University collects and holds regarding student assistance provided by the Commonwealth (which is an obligation under Section 19-60 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth)); and
b. Tax file number information (in accordance with the Tax File Number Guidelines, a legislative instrument under the Privacy Act, 1988(Cth))
There is a broad allocation of responsibilities under the Act between the EPA, local councils and other public authorities. The EPA is made the regulatory authority for:
* activities listed in Schedule 1 to the Act and the premises where they are carried out
* activities carried out by a State or public authority
* other activities in relation to which a licence regulating water pollution is issued.
In nearly all other cases, the regulatory authority is the relevant local council.
The Act also:
- Allocates the drafting and publishing of PEP's (Protection of the Environment Policies) and associated impact statements to the EPA.
- Establishes a system of Environment Protection Licences for the purposes of carrying out scheduled activities (e.g. chemical production, sterilisation activities, waste processing electricity generation, livestock intensive activities, etc) and scheduled development work (development designed to enable scheduled activities to take place on the premises).
- Provides for the issue of environment protection notices (clean-up notices, prevention notices, and prohibition notices) - It is an offence under the Act not to comply with such notices and penalties include sizeable fines.
- Defines a tiered mechanism to classify offences and provides for maximum penalties (eg: to willfully dispose of waste in a manner that harms or is likely to harm the environment is a Tier 1 offence that may attract large fines and potential imprisonment).
- Provides for voluntary and mandatory environmental audits and procedural matters for the conduct of investigations (including scope, associated notice requirements, powers of entry, and duty to provide information).
The objectives of the Public Health Act 2010 are to:
- Protect and promote public health
- Control the risk to public health
- Promote the control of infectious diseases
- Prevent the spread of infectious diseases
- Recognise the role of local governments in protecting public health
The objective of the Public Health Regulation 2012, made under the Act, is to support the smooth operation of the Public Health Act 2010. The Regulation makes provision for:
installation, operating and maintenance requirements for air-conditioning systems and other regulated systems
- operating requirements for public swimming pools and spa pools
- the issuing of orders to temporarily close down public swimming pools or spa pools, or to take disinfection action, where there is a risk to public health
- requirements for the carrying out of skin penetration procedures and for the premises where such procedures are carried out
- quality assurance programs for suppliers of drinking water
- disease control measures
- the facilities and procedures for the handling of bodies of deceased persons, exhumations, cremations and other matters relating to the disposal of bodies
- the code of conduct for certain health practitioners,
- fees payable in relation to improvement notices, prohibition orders and inspection of premises
- notification and record-keeping requirements
- penalty notice offences.
Staff who make a public interest disclosure (PID) in accordance with the PID Rule and Procedure will be protected in accordance with the Act.