Chemicals subject to the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions
On 18 August 2004, Australia became a party to two international agreements relating to the trade of certain hazardous chemicals. These agreements are the:
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
To implement these conventions, controls on import, manufacture, use and export have been introduced under the:
- Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Administration) Regulations 1995 (Agvet Regulations)
- Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956
- Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958
The Agvet Regulations prohibit certain activities in relation to these chemicals either absolutely or subject to conditions. The Customs Regulations complement the Agvet Regulations by introducing controls at the border.
For information on the import, export and use of chemicals listed under these conventions, please see the following links
Applications for permission to import chemicals controlled under the Stockholm Convention must be made using the Controlled Chemicals Database system.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury and Lighting
The Minamata Convention addresses mercury releases through its lifecycle: mining, import and export, manufacture into products, emission and releases, contaminated sites, waste management, recovery and reuse.
Australia ratified the Minamata Convention on 7 December 2021. It came into force on 7 March 2022. This international treaty requires Australia to follow binding rules. Its goal is to protect human health and the environment. It does this by controlling mercury pollution caused by human activities. Read more information on the Minamata Convention.