Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00538:reg:13:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00538
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 1/4)
Character Range: 909–4060

13  - Expression of Australian legal units of measurement

Reader's guide
Aim of the guide
The aim of this guide is to assist your understanding of the National Measurement Guidelines 2016 (the Guidelines). However, the guide is not part of the Guidelines and has no legal force.
The Guidelines are made under the National Measurements Act 1960 (the Act).
Introduction
The Act and the National Measurement Regulations 1999 (the Regulations) prescribe the International System of Units (SI) base, supplementary and certain derived Australian legal units of measurement for specified physical quantities. They also prescribe certain additional, non-SI, legal units of measurement that may be used for particular purposes. The purpose of the Guidelines is to supplement those provisions.
Australian legal units of measurement
The Guidelines set out how to form Australian legal units of measurement for physical quantities from the Australian legal units of measurement prescribed by the Regulations.
Subsection 3 (1) of the Act defines Australian legal units of measurement as:
    (a)  a unit of measurement prescribed for the purposes of subsection 7A (1); or
    (b) a unit of measurement derived by the application of guidelines issued by the Chief Metrologist under subsection 7B (1), or 2 or more successive applications of those guidelines.
Sections 7 and 7A of the Act provide that the Australian legal units of measurement of a physical quantity are the sole legal units of measurement of that physical quantity and may be prescribed by the regulations.
The Regulations contain the following schedules pertaining to the Guidelines:
       * Schedule 1, Part 1 — SI base units of measurement
       * Schedule 1, Part 2 — SI derived units of measurement with special names
       * Schedule 1, Part 3 — Non-SI units of measurement used with SI units of measurement
       * Schedule 1, Part 4 — Additional derived units of measurement
       * Schedule 2, Part 1 — Additional Australian legal units of measurement
       * Schedule 2, Part 2 — Purposes for which additional legal units of measurement may be used
       * Schedule 3 — SI prefixes
Guidelines
      1                            Name of Guidelines

      These Guidelines are the National Measurement Guidelines 2016
      2                            Authority

      These Guidelines are made under subsection 7B (1) of the National Measurement Act 1960.
      3                            Commencement

      These Guidelines commence on 1 April 2016.
      4                            Revocation

      These Guidelines revoke the National Measurement Guidelines 1999 (the former Guidelines) on 1 April 2016.
      5                            Objects

      These Guidelines govern the way in which Australian legal units of measurement may be combined:
           (a)   to produce an Australian legal unit of measurement; and
           (b)   with prefixes to produce Australian legal units of measurement.
Note   These Guidelines are a disallowable instrument: subsection 7B (2) of the Act.
      6                            Definitions

      In these Guidelines:
Product