National Measurement Guidelines 2016 (Cth)

National Measurement Guidelines 2016

National Measurement Act 1960

I, PETER FISK, Chief Metrologist, make these Guidelines under subsection 7B (1) of the National Measurement Act 1960.

Dated 31 March 2016

PETER FISK ______________________________

Peter Fisk Chief Metrologist

Contents

Reader's guide

1 - Name of Guidelines

2 - Authority

3 - Commencement

4 - Revocation

5 - Objects

6 - Definitions

7 - Physical quantities

8 - Combining Australian legal units of measurement

9 - Combining Australian legal unit of measurement and prescribed SI prefix

10 - Australian legal units of measurement that must not be combined with prefixes

11 - Australian legal units of measurement that may only be combined with prefixes that form multiples of the unit

12 - Combination of a prescribed SI prefix with a combination of Australian legal units of measurement

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