To support the safety, environmental and anti-theft performance of all road vehicles being provided to the Australian market for the first time, the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA) replaced the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (MVSA) on 1 July 2021.

The RVSA introduced a Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV), an online publicly searchable database of vehicles that have met the requirements of the RVSA and been approved for provision to the Australian market.

Sunsetting of aviation legislation

The Australian Government is reviewing a number of legislative instruments due to sunset on or before 1 April 2026.

Sunsetting is the automatic repeal of a legislative instrument after a fixed period, usually 10 years. A sunsetting review ensures that a legislative instrument is kept up to date and will only remain in force for as long as it is needed.

After several rounds of broad community consultation and review between 2020 and 2022, the updates to local fire control laws have now come into effect, supporting the improved management and regulation of the use of fire on Norfolk Island.

The Norfolk Island Continued Laws Amendment (Fire Control) Ordinance 2023 updates and makes improvements to the Fire Control Act 2000 (NI) (Fire Control Act). The revised laws impose stronger restrictions on the use of fire on-Island, establish a more robust permit system and help reduce risks to people, property and the environment.