National Fuel Quality Standards Regulation Impact Statement 1 ...

4.6.1 Advantages and Disadvantages
Management mechanisms to limit vehicle travel are more relevant for transport
emissions, rather than fuel quality per se. While these mechanisms will have an important
place in stabilising and reducing transport air emissions, they are beyond the scope of the
objectives specified for this Statement.
Summary
Mechanisms to limit vehicle travel are not directly related to fuel quality. They do not
ensure the fuel quality auto manufacturers require to meet ADRs on emission standards
and improve fuel efficiency of vehicles, and are therefore unable to meet the assessment
criteria outlined at the beginning of this section.
4.7 COMMONWEALTH REGULATION (Option 7)
Commonwealth legislation will provide the framework for a national fuel standards
regime with the levels for each of the parameters in petrol and diesel set in regulations
under the Act. It is proposed, subject to any time constraints, that the framework
legislation will be in place by the end of 2000.
The primary legislation will also enable standards to be set for other fuels to be specified
by regulation in the future (e.g. alternative road transport fuels such as LPG, biodiesel, or
marine and aviation fuels), if this becomes a priority for the Government.
The primary legislation will contain the following elements:
a) a regulation making power to permit setting standards for fuels;
b) provisions creating offences relating to the supply of fuel that does not meet standards
specified in the regulations;
c) monitoring and enforcement provisions, setting out record keeping and reporting
requirements imposed on suppliers and providing authority for the Commonwealth to
sample, monitor and enforce the fuel quality requirements; and
d) administrative arrangements for granting of exemptions from the standards where this
is in the public interest or in specified circumstances, for example to meet the
requirement of different climatic conditions.
The legislation will apply equally to fuel importers and domestic refiners. It will regulate
the quality of fuel along the entire chain of supply, so that importers, domestic producers,
distributors, wholesalers and retailers will be held accountable for fuel quality under the
Act.
The intention of the legislation is not to dictate the composition of fuel, but rather to
establish standards for certain fuel parameters. The regulations will specify, for each fuel
type, the level at which a particular fuel parameter, for example sulfur content, will be set
and the timeframe by which the parameter standard must be met.