FIRST ASSISTANT SECRETARY, ENVIRONMENT STANDARDS DIVISION
DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
NOTICE UNDER SECTION 17 OF THE FUEL QUALITY STANDARDS ACT 2000 CONCERNING A DECISION TO VARY AN APPROVAL GRANTED UNDER SECTION 13 OF THAT ACT
I, Matt Cahill, First Assistant Secretary, Environment Standards Division, delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Energy, provide the following information concerning my decision to vary an approval under section 13 of the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000.
Name of approval holder
VP Racing Fuels Pty Ltd
Details of the variation
On 5 December 2014 an approval was granted to VP Racing Fuels Pty Ltd to vary the Fuel Standard (Petrol) Determination 2001 to permit the supply of specialist unleaded racing fuel as specified in the approval.
Pursuant to section 17 of the Act:
2. The following parameter listed in the approval has been amended so that:
will be taken to comply with the relevant parameter specified in the Fuel Standard (Petrol) Determination 2001 in respect of the supply of the fuel for use in legitimate motor sport activities.
3. The following regulated persons have been added to the approval:
Name | ABN | Street Address |
Raceline Performance Pty Ltd | 11 610 566 928 | 1/5 Sandringham Avenue |
Maxwill Racing Engines Pty Ltd | 83 105 576 396 | 1A St Peters Street |
Beard Bros Motor Cycles Pty Ltd (trading as Beard Brothers Motorcycles) | 50 120 734 518 | 123 Durham Street
|
The Trustee for West Family Trust (trading as S & H West Auto Electrics) | 19 086 498 589 | Shed 4 Wilga Street |
4. The following regulated persons have been removed from the approval:
Name | ABN | Street Address |
N Sassine & T Sassine | 18 818 688 268 | 11A Harp Street |
GT Motor Group Pty Ltd | 33 113 624 267 | 5/150 Edmonstone Street |
Superior Automotive Services Pty Ltd | 67 062 718 361 | 79 Bassett Street |
Sant, Paul Charles | 30 230 787 703 | 115 Ramsay Road |
Pac Parts Pty Ltd | 29 131 372 980 | 11/94 Bryant Street |
Diff Technics Australia Pty Ltd | 42 132 930 226 | 27 Production Avenue |
Opal Maze Pty Ltd | 14 114 783 756 | 6-10 Meryla Street |
Stapleton, Jason | 80 642 371 160 | 1/894 Stuart Highway |
The Trustee for the Franko Cazzola Family Trust | 79 916 996 007 | Lot 1 Moorland Drive |
Morel, Paul Christopher (trading as Whitehouse St Service & Repairs) | 77 641 490 859 | 6 Whitehouse Street |
Period of operation
The variation comes into force on the date of signing and remains in force until 30 June 2017.
Summary of reasons for the variation
Having consulted with the Fuel Standards Consultative Committee as required by section 17D(3) of the Act, I grant the variation as provided for in section 15 of the Act for the following reasons:
a) The protection of the environment
The Minister for the Environment and Energy is currently considering the future use of lead in racing fuel.
The fuel subject to this recommendation is supplied and used in small quantities for motor sport activities.
The consequences of even a small amount of MTBE contaminating water sources can be significant. It is a standard condition of section 13 approvals for fuel containing MTBE above the limit specified in the petrol standard that the fuel not be permitted in activities occurring on freshwater lakes and waterways.
The fuel is expensive compared with normal fuels and the price provides a disincentive for any waste, misuse or spillage.
It is not expected that permitting the supply of the fuels covered by this approval for motor sport activities will have an irreversible effect on the environment.
These considerations are not altered by a six month extension of the original approval.
b) The protection of occupational and public health and safety
Exposure to certain substances in petrol and vehicle exhaust can be toxic. The risks associated with exposure to racing fuels may be higher than for petrol because of the additional substances contained in them. A variety of negative health effects can occur, depending upon the substance, the level and duration of exposure. At venues that use racing fuels, exposure may extend to drivers, team members, race officials, spectators and the immediate environment.
Specialist leaded and unleaded racing fuels are supplied in sealed containers of up to 200 litres capacity (except for use in pre-1986 built racing vehicles which may be dispensed from a bowser) and are used in small quantities, primarily in off-road activities, and in widely dispersed locations. Safe handling information will be provided with the fuel.
These considerations are not altered by a six month extension of the original approval.
c) The interests of consumers
Specialist unleaded racing fuels meet the needs of a niche market for specific classes of motor racing. The consumers using these fuels seek the performance and operability characteristics provided by these fuels. Without them, motor sport competitors may not be able to operate their vehicles effectively with currently employed technology.
These considerations are not altered by a six month extension of the original approval.
d) The impact on economic and regional development
Many racing venues are located outside major population areas. Motor and water sport events provide an ongoing financial benefit to these regional communities. A decision to disallow the continued and controlled supply of specialist leaded racing fuels suddenly may have an adverse impact on national motor sport competitions and the economic benefits that flow from them.
These considerations are not altered by a six month extension of the original approval.
The variation is granted subject to the conditions specified in section 17 of the Act.
Matt Cahill
First Assistant Secretary, Environment Standards Division
19 December 2016