NICNAS’s mission is to be recognised as the leading national authority for the scientific assessment and management of risks to people and the environment associated with the use of industrial chemicals. NICNAS works to encourage the safe and sustainable use of industrial chemicals.

NICNAS pursues its goal of safe and sustainable chemical use through the scientific assessment of chemical risk and by making recommendations for controlling these risks. NICNAS assessment information is made widely available and assists state and territory OHS, public health and environmental agencies in the environmentally sound management of industrial chemicals. NICNAS assessments also provide risk and safety information to industry, workers and the public to promote greater awareness of the dangers of chemicals and advice on how to use them safely.

NICNAS’s activities are presented in Outcome 1 within the DoHA Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS) outcome/output structure for 2005-06. The relationship between the NICNAS Outcome and contributing Output is shown in Figure 2. Performance measures used for accounting against outputs and outcomes are shown in Table 2.

Figure 2: NICNAS outcome/output statements

Outcome 1: Population Health

The incidence of preventable mortality, illness and injury in Australians is minimised

Achieved through:

Output Group 1: Policy Advice

working with relevant policy areas of the Department to provide advice in relation to appropriate national policies and controls for chemicals

advice in relation to collaboration with international stakeholders (see Appendix 17)

Output Group 3: Agency Specific Service Delivery

regulatory activity in relation to industrial chemicals through pre-introduction assessment of new industrial chemicals and review of priority existing industrial chemicals, including environmental risk (see Appendices 12-20)

DoHA Output Framework

 

Estimate ($ million)

Actual ($ million)

Total Price of Outputs

$7.441

$7.954

Departmental Outputs Appropriation (100% cost recovery)

$7.441

$7.954

 

Table 2: NICNAS performance information against output

OUTPUT

PBS PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Effective Regulation through:


pre-introduction assessment of new industrial chemicals and review of priority existing chemicals (including for OHS and public health and environmental risk), and

Quality:

evaluations and appeals of decisions of applications for industrial chemicals are made within legislative and other agreed timeframes

number of NICNAS recommendations adopted
 

Quantity:

timely production of quarterly and annual reports

number of assessments for new chemicals

number of existing chemical reviews (contributing to a target rate of 50 chemicals over a 3-year period)
 

Wide provision of chemical safety information.

Quality:

high level stakeholder satisfaction with relevance, quality and timeliness of information and education services
 

Quantity:

number of publications circulated including 3 issues NICNAS matters , 12 issues NICNAS Chemical Gazette
 

number of Chemical assessments (new and existing chemicals)
 

growth in internet site user sessions