Background
The WA Police Force has completed a five yearly review of the State Hazard Plan HAZMAT Annex B Space Re-entry Debris (SPRED).
The WA Police Force is now seeking broad stakeholder feedback on the proposed amendments.
Agencies with roles and responsibilities within the State Hazard Plan HAZMAT Annex B SPRED, the Australian Space Agency and the Western Australian Space Debris Emergency Response Team (WASDERT) were consulted during the initial review of the plan.
The draft State Hazard Plan HAZMAT Annex B SPRED provides an overview of arrangements for the management of SPRED emergencies in Western Australia, in accordance with the Australian Government Space Re-entry Debris Plan (AUSSPREDPLAN). It contains information about the strategic arrangements for prevention, preparedness, response to and recovery from a SPRED Emergency.
The draft State Hazard Plan HAZMAT Annex B SPRED refers to a range of existing plans and documents relating to SPRED but does not duplicate the information contained in these, instead provides directions to websites or other sources where further information can be obtained if required.
The Commissioner of Police is the Hazard Management Agency for SPRED.
Consultation will be open for 12 weeks from Friday 03 October 2025 to Friday 02 January 2026. Please submit your feedback by close of business on 02 January 2026 using the survey below. We welcome other questions or comments you have in relation to this plan.
Proposed draft
Download and review the proposed draft prior to submitting feedback.
Summary of Amendments
The following amendments are proposed for the draft State Hazard Plan HAZMAT Annex B Space Re-entry Debris (SPRED):
Hazard definition
The hazard definition within the annex has been amended to better align with the definition of SPRED in the Emergency Management Regulations 2006 and to reflect that a SPRED emergency is more broadly accepted as the occurrence or imminent occurrence of the re-entry of human-made space objects through the Earth’s atmosphere, that requires a significant and coordinated incident response rather than the orbital decay and subsequent re-entry of human-made space objects.
Organisational roles and responsibilities
Organisational roles and responsibilities for a SPRED emergency across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery included in the annex have been summarised into a table in Appendix C.
Related documents and legislation
The related documents specific to a SPRED emergency have been updated to include the five core United Nations Treaties which assist in promoting transparency and provide information used in preventing and recovering from SPRED incidents.
Public warnings/information
Additional information has been provided on the various forms of communication technology and services that may be used by the WA Police Force to inform the public on the occurrence and progress of an emergency.
Statement of fact amendments
- The Australian Government Planning Group has been amended to reflect the current Australian Government practice of using the National Coordination Mechanism as activated through the Australian Government Disaster Response Plan (COMDISPLAN), outlining coordination for non-financial assistance in the event of a disaster.
- Updates to agency names.
- Updates to reflect WA Police Force business processes, namely Police Operations Centre to State Operations Command Centre.
- Updates to related policy documents.
- Other amendments to simplify language, improve readability and clarity of terms and resourcing responsibilities.
