Summary of the ACMA Approval Process
The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) is the National Authority in Australia. They are an independent Commonwealth statutory authority. They are responsible for regulating telecommunications, broadcasting, radio communications and the internet.
All electrical and electronic radio equipment intended to be introduced into the Australian market has to comply with ACMA regulations. There are four labelling notices, with which products shall comply with according to their specific characteristics:
- Telecommunications Labelling Notice
- Radiocommunications Devices Labelling Notice
- Electromagnetic Energy (EME) / Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Labelling Notice
- Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Labelling Notice
Each Labelling Notice defines its Risk Levels depending on product type and based on the following scale:
- Compliance Level 1: Low-risk device
- Compliance Level 2: Medium-risk device / Non-high risk standard
- Compliance Level 3: High-risk device / High-risk standard
The requirements for in-country testing will depend on the Risk level of the specific product for each applicable Labelling Notice. Applicants shall provide an in-country representative/Importer which shall be registered in the ACMA database.
Labelling Requirements
The final step to product compliance involves labelling the product. The ACMA regulatory arrangements require a supplier to apply a compliance label to a product before the product is marketed in Australia.
A compliance label is a durable and legible label that indicates the product complies with the applicable standard/s. For all ACMA regulatory arrangements, the compliance label is the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM).
Physical requirements for the compliance label include:
- Scale and visibility
- Surface labelling
- Electronic labelling
- Package labelling
Summary of the EESS Approval Process
EESS Approval is applicable when the product rated voltage is greater than 50 V AC RMS or 120V ripple-free DC; and less than 1000V AC RMS or 1500V ripple-free DC; or when the product is designed or marketed as suitable for household, personal or similar use.
There are also three Risk Levels for the EESS approval process. The Labelling is the same as for the ACMA Approval Process (RCM Mark) and a local importer is also required in order to register the equipment in the EESS Database.