The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Amendment (Scheme Enhancements) Act 2012 No. 108 (Cth) received assent on 22 July 2012 and amends the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2055 No. 4 (Cth)
The Act makes various amendments, including to:
- Amend the registration of Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) products, including to require the Commonwealth Minister to formulate a scheme relating to the registration of WELS products and prescribe various matters for which the scheme may provide;
- Improve compliance, including to create new offences relating to the registration and labelling of a WELS product and the supply of WELS labelled products that are not WELS products, and provide for compliance audits and remedial action;
- Make administrative improvements, including to require the Commonwealth Secretary to designate, in writing, a position in the Commonwealth Department as the position of WELS Regulator, which can only be occupied by an “SES employee” and require the Commonwealth Minister to cause further independent review of the operation of the WELS scheme within certain prescribed periods;
- Remove voluntary registrations; and
- Make definitional, transitional and miscellaneous amendments.