ACMA Class Licensing - Info

Information supplied by RASA:

RASA WRITES TO THE ACMA

We are entering a pivotal period in Amateur Radio licensing in Australia. We are notionally scheduled to complete a transition from Class to Apparatus license in February next year. However the last report by the ACMA on this transition was in August. Several members and Clubs have voiced their concerns over how the changes will manifest in practical terms. We are entering into the Christmas holiday period and finding answers to these questions is becoming important to all Amateurs.

On November 17 RASA wrote to the ACMA and submitted the following questions.

• Is the transition to a class license and revised Assessor network implementation still scheduled for February 2024?

• Is there a release date for the outcome of the August 2023 submissions to the ACMA on assessor and examination arrangements?

• Will we have continuity of service for the Exam Assessor network upon the cessation of services by the Australian Maritime College (AMC) from February 2024?

• Are there plans to pro-rata reimburse Amateur licensees who have recently paid their Amateur license fees for the full 12 months?

• Is the proposal to change Scientific licenses for use on Amateur Radio frequencies still active?

• (Most Amateurs submitted to us that this was not an acceptable strategy)

• How will the transition affect existing Radio Club licenses?

THE ACMA RESPONDS

On November 28 the ACMA distributed an information update titled:

STATUS OF NEW AMATEUR RADIO ARRANGEMENTS AND TRANSITION WITH AMC

The content of this release follows:

As indicated in our August 2023 update, we plan to make the amateur class licence in December. We will commence class licensing arrangements in February, at the same time as the commencement of the proposed new amateur radio qualification framework and new assessor accreditations. In the August update, we indicated that more details about the transition arrangements for existing amateur licensees, including amateur radio clubs, will be published in December 2023. This will include information on the surrender of amateur licences and eligibility for a pro-rata refund of the tax paid. We have considered the submissions we received in response to our consultation on the proposed amateur radio qualification and assessor accreditation arrangements. We plan to publish the submissions and our response to them, as well as the outcome of the consultation by mid-December. Before the amateur class licence commences, we will write to all current non-assigned amateur licensees to outline the transition arrangements. In this letter, we will confirm the qualification level and call sign(s) they hold, and that they are authorised to operate under the amateur class licence. The ACMA has been working closely with the AMC to support a smooth transition of qualification and call sign services – which the ACMA will administer from February 2024 – and continuity of service for the network of assessors. Details of AMC cut-off times are outlined on the AMC’s website.

We are pleased that this response has answered many of our questions. We now appear to be on-track for a February transition and we have a clear statement that Pro-Rata refunds will be made available for Amateurs who paid for their twelve month license renewal in the second half of this year.

Still of concern is the framework surrounding Club and special Event callsigns and the unprecedented proposal to introduce complex Scientific Licenses for Amateurs wanting to operate at high power levels.

It remains RASA’s position that as with many other countries, higher power operation can be effectively managed within the existing Amateur qualification framework.

RASA presented a comprehensive submission to the ACMA in September and this was printed in our last QTC magazine. We look forward to examining the ACMA response to all submissions and will prepare a synopsis of this information in the upcoming edition of QTC.

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