Transitional Arrangements

The EESS commenced in Queensland on 1 March 2013. In 2018 an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on governance of the EESS has been signed by Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.

EESS legislation started on 1 April 2019 in Victoria. Other Australian jurisdictions are currently progressing or considering (or have not yet made a decision about) implementation of the EESS. New Zealand will have complementary legislation in due course.

The IGA sets up a Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) comprised of Ministers who have signed the IGA to ensure government oversight and governance of the EESS laws. A Standing Council of Officers (SCO), with members appointed by the Ministers, has also been constituted by the IGA. The SCO will oversee operational aspects of the EESS.

The EESS is now considered to be operational and all previous transitional arrangements have ceased, or the time period for the previous transitions has now been exceeded.

Victorian transition arrangements

Please see www.esv.vic.gov.au for Victorian transition arrangements between, 1 April 2019 and 1 October 2019 and for any allowances for uploading, or adding modifications to, certificates issued by non-Queensland RECS certifiers or updates to their existing certificates from 1 April 2019 and for after 1 October 2019.

Previous Queensland transition arrangements

On 1 March 2013 Queensland implemented the EESS and there was a phased introduction by the participating jurisdictions to ensure continuity of industry business activities. These transitional allowances relate to electrical safety matters of the EESS and use of the RCM for in-scope electrical equipment.

Irrespective of any transitional allowances any electrical equipment sold must be electrically safe.

• Since 1 March 2013, all EESS in-scope electrical equipment:
  is classified as level 1, level 2 or level 3;
• previously  classified as ‘Prescribed’ will be classified as level 3 and all previously classified equipment as non-prescribed equipment which is in-scope became classified as level 1;
• Level 2 and Level 3 equipment is defined in the latest AS/NZS4417.2 standard.

To assist with compliance with the EESS and use of the RCM, the following transitional arrangements applied from 1 March 2013:

• up to a 6 month transition period for responsible suppliers to register themselves (i.e.: Responsible Suppliers are to be registered by 1 September 2013);
• up to a 12 month period for responsible supplier to register level 3 in-scope electrical equipment (i.e.: Responsible Supplier have until 1 March 2014 to register their level 3 equipment);
• up to 3 years for in-scope electrical equipment manufactured in Australia or imported, to have the RCM placed on the in-scope electrical equipment by the responsible supplier;
• up to a 5 year for in-scope electrical equipment to be sold at retail level before the RCM must be placed on the in-scope electrical equipment (i.e by 1 March 2019).