On 14 October 2025, the
Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) announced a major
update to its Rolling Action Plan (RAP), initiating a national evaluation of per-
and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) listed on the Australian Inventory of
Industrial Chemicals (AIIC).
Conducted under section 74 of the
Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, the evaluation will determine whether these PFAS
are currently being imported or manufactured in Australia, and if so, for what
purposes and in what quantities. This initiative aims to strengthen oversight
of PFAS use and identify substances that may require further regulatory
scrutiny.
A full list of the 522 PFAS
currently subject to evaluation can be found in the RAP here.
Information Required from
Industry
To support the evaluation, the AICIS
will issue notices under section 76 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 to all
registrants whose registration period spans 1 September 2023 to 31 August
2025. These registrants will be legally required to provide data for the
2023–24 and 2024–25 registration years, including:
- Whether they have imported or manufactured any of
the 522 listed PFAS in Australia.
- For each such substance, the CAS number and
chemical name; how it was introduced (import or manufacture); the total
quantity; and its intended end use.
- If certain information cannot be provided, the
reason(s) must be given.
Registrants must submit the
required information within 40 working days of receiving the notice,
using the unique online form provided by AICIS. They are also encouraged to
voluntarily report data from earlier years to assist the evaluation.
Strengthening PFAS Oversight
This initiative is part of the AICIS’s
broader strategy to enhance the transparency of, and management of PFAS, a
group of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to long-term environmental
and health risks. The information collected will help inform future risk
management and regulatory actions within Australia.
