The federal government is set to introduce restrictions on R134a in vehicle air conditioning as part of Australia’s HFC phase down.
The plan is to prohibit new vehicles entering Australia charged with R134a to close the pre-charged equipment loophole that sits outside the existing import quota system.
Although the phase down caps bulk refrigerant imports in cylinders it does not include pre-charged equipment.
Speaking at the Wire & Gas 2026 conference in Brisbane, the director of atmospheric chemicals policy for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water (DCCEEW), Dr Paul Taylor, said it is clear Australia is not going to transition away from R134a on its own and that restrictions will be necessary.
He said DCCEEW’s projections show demand for R134a exceeding supply later this decade, and current policy settings show no meaningful fall-off in demand.
“R134a bulk imports have actually risen from their 2023 minimum and risen steeply, despite a phase down step being taken in that period,” Taylor said.
“There is this risk that Australia could be perceived as a dumping ground for high GWP equipment if we don’t put in place appropriate regulatory barriers.”
R134a is now the largest single component of the bulk import mix, rising from 25 per cent to 37 per cent on a CO2-e basis.
Taylor said the changes would be introduced as part of the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) which was announced earlier this year.
Public consultation on the standards is underway, and are set to take effect from July 1 next year.
Implementation dates for individual measures to be introduced under IChEMS have not been finalised.
However, Taylor suggested 2028 as a possible timeframe to introduce restrictions on new vehicles, emphasising that dates are yet to be determined.
“Our intention is to prohibit new cars entering the market from being charged with R134a and to support the responsible, sustainable use of R1234yf as the current technology,” he said.
Taylor said since the HFC phase down began Australia is about 50 per cent down on the starting point.
He pointed to market effects the trade is already seeing such as price rises on high GWP gases.
“Stockpiling ahead of the phase down restrictions delayed the impact, but those impacts are now coming through and coming through harder,” Taylor said.
“Some importers are dropping high GWP HFCs from their mix because those gases eat too much of their allocation.
“At the same time a reclamation market is emerging where recovery has become commercially viable. One example is R404A in commercial refrigeration.”
Taylor said R1234yf remains the refrigerant of choice because C02 could lead to a significant upskilling issue for the sector and hydrocarbons carry safety concerns.
He reminded the audience that IChEMS measures are aimed at the import end, not the workshop floor.
“We’re not anticipating that there will be any impact on you guys; this is really about controlling what comes in,” Taylor said.
Wire & Gas is organised by the Automotive Air Conditioning, Electrical and Cooling Technicians of Australasia (VASA) and The Automotive Technician (TaT).