InkWELS - August 2010
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
WELS scheme independent review report completed
The final report on the independent review of the WELS scheme was completed on 30 June 2010 and will be made available on the WELS scheme website once tabled in Parliament.
Twenty eight submissions were received and, except where confidentiality was requested, can be viewed on the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.
New regulation impact statement: clothes washing machines and combination washer/dryers
Read the Regulation Impact Statement: Minimum Water Efficiency Standards for Clothes Washers and Water Efficiency Labelling for Combined Washer-Dryers, and the decisions of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council.
Revision of the WELS standard, AS/NZS 6400, to incorporate these recommendations has commenced. It is expected that the revised standard will be published in early 2011, and incorporated by a determination under the WELS Act in mid 2011. It will then apply to all new registrations for clothes washing machines and combination washer/dryers from 1 October 2011.
For clothes washing machines and combination washer/dryers already registered, there will be a 12 month period from the date the determination is made, during which they can be offered for sale before re-registration is required to the new standard.
Amendment 4 to AS/NZS 6400 Water efficient products – Rating and labelling
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has been working with Standards Australia committee WS-032, to consider amendments to AS/NZS 6400:2005 that would address limitations applying to specific niche products. Standards Australia subsequently published Amendment 4 to this standard on 21 June 2010. This amendment adds cold-only-connect clothes washing machines to the requirements of the standard and allows for appropriate testing of low pressure showerheads and taps. The amendment is now being considered for formal adoption into the WELS scheme through a determination.
Until this determination is made the WELS standard remains AS/NZS 6400, incorporating amendments 1, 2 and 3 only.
Amendment to the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2005
In 2007, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage recommended in its report, Managing the Flow: regulating plumbing product quality in Australia, that WaterMark certification be a prerequisite for compliance with the WELS scheme.
Currently, products that fall under the WELS scheme must comply with the WELS standard and be registered before being offered for sale. WaterMark testing and certification applies at the time of installation, and is intended to ensure that products are fit for use and will not threaten the safety of the reticulated water supply. Under the existing arrangements, WELS compliant and registered products may be purchased without having WaterMark certification, meaning they cannot be legally installed.
An amendment to the WELS Act was introduced to Parliament on 16 June 2010. The amendment seeks to broaden the range of matters that can be included in a WELS standard. If enacted, this will enable the Minister to determine that WaterMark certification is a requirement for WELS registration.
The second reading of the amendment bill can be found in Hansard (page 5475) (PDF)
