Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office
ASNO
31 August 1998 – present
Office in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio that is Australia's national authority for nuclear safeguards, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
How it came into existence
Formed on 31 August 1998, when John Carlson was appointed its first Director General, by combining the Australian Safeguards Office, the Chemical Weapons Convention Office and the Australian Comprehensive Test-Ban Office; the Director General took on the statutory responsibilities of all three.
- Nuclear safeguards
- Nuclear material permits
- Chemical Weapons Convention implementation
Legislation: Nuclear Non-Proliferation (Safeguards) Act 1987; Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act 1994; Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Act 1998
Main functions
- Nuclear safeguards and nuclear material accounting
- Nuclear security of material and facilities
- National authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention
- National authority for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
- Permits for nuclear material and scheduled chemicals
Where it sits
In the portfolio of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Lineage
Loading lineage…
Sources
Primary sources
- Australian Government Organisations Register (Department of Finance, data.gov.au) (listed from 23 October 2015 to the latest release (30 June 2026))
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.