From 13 July 2026 the six-month bar in subsection 11(3) applies to an approval, not to an approval in principle, after a refusal or a revocation by an independent body for the same kinds of service or category.
What the provision does
Item 4 omits "in principle" from subsection 11(3). The subsection says that, apart from exceptional cases, approval must be refused where, in the six months before the application, the last accreditation action was an independent body's refusal to grant accreditation, or its revocation of accreditation, for the kinds of services or the category that the application covers. The amendment removes the in-principle reference so that the bar is measured against the approval. The six-month period and the two triggering actions are unchanged.
Why it matters
The bar is a cooling-off rule. It stops an applicant from coming straight back to the Minister after an independent body has refused or revoked accreditation for the same scope. The amendment keeps the rule aligned with the single approval. It does not shorten the six months and it does not remove the exceptional-circumstances route.
What changed, and when
Item 4 commenced on 13 July 2026. It is one of the eight in-principle items. The six-month period and the two triggering accreditation actions remain.
This unit is one of the ten that commenced on 13 July 2026. It is not waiting for 1 July 2027. A record that treats it as future will describe the wrong approval process or the wrong edition at the next assessment.
What to do about it
Before an application, obtain the accreditation action history from the independent body and calculate the six months from the date of the action, not from the date the applicant heard about it. Record the kinds of service and the category that the action covered, because a different scope is not caught. If the bar applies, either wait or prepare the exceptional-circumstances case with the evidence that supports it.
What the assessor asks for
| Category | Artefact to have ready |
|---|---|
| Action history | A dated extract of the independent body's accreditation actions for the premises and the scope |
| Scope comparison | A table that compares the refused or revoked scope with the scope now applied for |
| Six-month calculation | The calculation of the six-month period, with the start and end dates and the reviewer |
| Exceptional case | The decision note and supporting evidence where the applicant cannot wait |
The question that follows. A reviewer may ask when the six months end and on what action it started, and a file without the action history cannot answer.
Gaps that lose a file
- Calculating from the wrong date
- Assuming a different category escapes the bar
- No record of the scope the action covered
- Using the exceptional route without evidence
Before the date
- Request the action history early
- Compare scope line by line
- Diary the end of the six months
Dates
| Date | What happens | Source pointer |
|---|---|---|
| Item 4 commences | s 2 table item 2 |
Cross-references
The approval test · The amended application · Interim approval: the trigger
Source
Schedule 1 item 4, amending subsection 11(3) of the 2017 Principles. The operative text is F2026L00927 on the Federal Register, with the parent 2017 Principles and the Explanatory Statement. Our statement, not the instrument verbatim.
Not legal advice; does not certify. A reading of the provision and the evidence an assessor commonly samples, not a substitute for the instrument, the standards or your accreditation body's rules.