Information for Fireworks Importers

You must hold a current Northern Territory certificate of approval to import to import shopgoods fireworks into the NT.

NT WorkSafe must be notified upon arrival of each delivery of shopgoods fireworks using the notice of arrival – Prescribed explosives form and you must provide your NT certificate of approval number.

If transporting through other Australian jurisdictions, a copy of approval to transport from those jurisdictions must be provided to NT WorkSafe with the notice of arrival.

All shopgoods fireworks entering the Northern Territory are subject to inspection by NT WorkSafe inspectors upon arrival. Customs seals/regulator seals must remain intact until directed by an inspector on site.

Inspectors conduct compliance checks on the shopgoods fireworks ensuring:

• there are no prohibited items in the load
• the age of the fireworks (when they were manufactured)
• no stock is water damaged
• no stock is crushed
• the manufacturing requirements of AS 2187 have been met
• the fireworks have been tested
• the fireworks are correctly labelled

The safety and integrity of shopgoods fireworks is paramount and the following provides some examples of the effects of compromised fireworks:

• Fireworks can degrade over time. Wet, damp, crushed, or otherwise compromised fireworks are highly dangerous, unpredictable, and must not be used.
• Manifests now include date of manufacture to identify those fireworks over 12 months since manufacturing. Old manifests must be updated to include this new requirement.
• Moisture exposure may affect fuse performance, leading to delayed ignition or misfires. Previous incidents have demonstrated the serious risks associated with approaching malfunctioning fireworks.
• Any identified wet, damp, crushed, or otherwise compromised fireworks will be seized and destroyed by NTWS. Should significant costs be incurred with this activity, NTWS will seek reimbursement from the Importer.

Under the Dangerous Goods Regulations, a person shall not import into the Territory, sell, or handle explosives that are not in good condition or are unsafe.

NT WorkSafe Inspectors will conduct compliance checks on imported containers. Importers are expected to provide staff/labour to unload imported containers into appropriate storage areas so that NT WorkSafe inspectors can view, count and assess the condition imported shopgood fireworks. Inspection dates will be arranged once NOA are received. The last date for inspection by NT WorkSafe for fireworks 2026 to be deemed suitable for sale will be 3 June 2026.

All importers must ensure full compliance with legislative requirements and AS 2187. Any concessions provided in 2025 (including timing, labelling, and testing allowances) were one-off arrangements and will not be repeated for 2026.

Maintaining an even playing field across all stakeholders remains a priority. All importers will be required to meet the same compliance standards without exception.

Any non-compliance identified following Territory Day 2025 must be rectified well in advance of the 2026 event.

The following fireworks are banned shopgoods fireworks in the Northern Territory:

• Fire Crackers - Tubes of rolled paper fitted with a wick, designed to explode with a single sharp report.
• Inbuilt Battery Ignited Fireworks - For example, fairy sticks.
• Matchcrackers - Fireworks having attached to them, or forming part of them, their own means of ignition that is adapted to explode or fire the device by heat, friction or percussion.
• Reloadable artillery-type shells - Fireworks that have a mortar tube where the operator inserts the shell into the mortar before igniting. The fireworks may have two or more shells to be fired from the mortar.
• Roman Candles - Pyrotechnic devices consisting of a single tube containing alternate propellant and pyrotechnic units which eject the pyrotechnic units into the air and which may emit showers of sparks between each shot.
• Salutes - Fireworks consisting of aerial shells or pyrotechnic units;
  • contained within an aerial shell which are intended to produce a loud report, with or without a brilliant flash of light or sparks; or
  • that produce a loud report of over 115 dB(C) at 15m.
• Sky Rockets - Fireworks consisting of a casing which contains pyrotechnic material which upon initiation produces a jet of flame to propel the rocket into the air and which may also contain a bursting charge to produce an aural or visual effect, which is initiated once the propellant is expired. Sky rockets also have a stick of predetermined length and diameter to stabilise their flight.

Yes.  You will still be required to notify NT WorkSafe of arrival and provide a copy of your manifest which now includes the date of manufacture. Old manifests must be updated to include this new requirement.

The NT Port Authority (Darwin Port) requires compliance with Australian and international dangerous goods (DG) regulations, focusing on proper marking, packaging, documentation (including SDS), segregation, and trained personnel for handling DG within the port, with specific guidelines in Port Notice PN-003 for Stokes Hill Wharf operations, necessitating prior notification and adherence to NT WorkSafe laws for dangerous goods.

Yes.  Wood-lined shipping containers or any wood packaging materials (crates, pallets, dunnage) from China must comply with strict Australian biosecurity regulations upon arrival in Darwin. If the timber is not already treated and certified to ISPM 15 standards before shipping, it will require mandatory, high-cost fumigation upon arrival in Darwin.

Wood packaging made wholly of processed wood material, such as bonded plywood, particleboard, or veneer, does not typically require ISPM 15 treatment.

To avoid delays and high costs in Darwin, it is strongly recommended that all wooden packing materials are ISPM 15 certified prior to leaving China.

Based on international standards, including the IMDG Code and related dangerous goods codes, freight containers carrying Class 1.4G explosives (which present a minor explosion hazard) must adhere to specific lining requirements to ensure safety during transport.

The IMDG Code is primary for sea transport, but its provisions for Class 1 goods (explosives) are integrated with the Australian ADG Code for land transport upon arrival.  NT WorkSafe does not administer the IMDG Code.

Inner Lining Requirements for Containers

If a freight container is used as a magazine for 1.4G explosives, the inside of the side walls, end walls, floor, and doors must be closely lined with one of the following materials:

• Bonded Plywood: Minimum 12 mm thick (Type B quality to AS 2271).
• Timber: Minimum 17 mm thick.
• Aluminium Sheet: Minimum 0.8 mm thick.

Installation and Construction Standards

• Lining Position: The lining must be installed to provide a gap of at least 25 mm from the inner surface of the container walls.
• Height: The lining should extend at least 300 mm above the load.
• Surface Condition: All inner surfaces must be smooth and free of any protruding nails, screws, or other projections.
• Securing: If the container has a door, it must be provided with two locking bars.

General Requirements

• Weather-tightness: The container must be weather-tight.
• Elevation: The container should be elevated at least 10 cm from the deck using runners, bearers, or skids.
• Marking: The container must be marked on its top and four sides, with letters at least 8 cm (3 inches) high, as: EXPLOSIVES—HANDLE CAREFULLY—KEEP LIGHTS AND FIRE AWAY.

Note: Wood packaging made wholly of processed wood material, such as bonded plywood does not typically require ISPM 15 treatment.

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has confirmed the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) seasonal measures for the 2025-2026 season, which runs from 1 September 2025 to 30 April 2026 (inclusive). These measures apply to target high-risk goods manufactured in or shipped from target risk countries, as well as vessels that berth, load, or tranship from these countries during the risk season.

China is a country categorised as a target risk, however, is for heightened vessel surveillance only.  Shopgoods fireworks do not appear to be categorised as target high risk goods (in accordance with the current tariff classification) and therefore BMSB seasonal measures may not apply.

Darwin Port may be able to provide further information regarding BMSB or contact DAFF to confirm that shopgoods fireworks are not categorised as target high risk and target risk goods.

Goods that are not categorised as target high risk and target risk goods, are not subject to BMSB seasonal measures.

Note: The shipped on board date, as indicated on the Ocean Bill of Lading, is the date used to determine when goods have been shipped.

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria have advised that shopgoods fireworks are not permitted to be imported into, or transported onward through, their jurisdictions to the Northern Territory.

It is the responsibility of any person or business proposing to move shopgoods fireworks through another jurisdiction outside the Northern Territory to contact the relevant authority directly to confirm current requirements and restrictions prior to making transport arrangements.

NT WorkSafe will not issue any export permits for shopgoods fireworks from the Northern Territory unless written permission is provided from that jurisdiction allowing for the transport and storage of shopgoods fireworks.

All importers must hold a valid Dangerous Goods storage licence for the storage of fireworks within the Northern Territory. Storage licences were issued for a year in 2025. These will be due to expire and will require renewal. Please see attached current application form.

It is your responsibility as an importer to ensure manifests remain current at all times.

Storage facilities (including portable magazines) must meet strict AS 2187 requirements to mitigate risks associated with fire, theft, and accidental ignition.

Should you store your shopgood fireworks outside of a designated storage facility, a risk assessment will be required demonstrating controls for foreseeable risks.

In the Northern Territory, workers' compensation insurance is compulsory for every employer who is not a self-insurer.

Any business that employs or hires workers on a full-time, part-time or casual basis, under an oral or written contract of service or apprenticeship, must have workers' compensation insurance that covers all workers.

If the business is owned by an individual or partnership (not a company), immediate family members who live with those individuals are only covered if their personal details and their remuneration are disclosed to the insurer at the time the person commences employment, when a policy is obtained or at the renewal of a policy.

A worker is someone who performs work or a service for another person under a contract and is an employee for PAYG purposes as defined by the Taxation Administration Act, even if the employer is not withholding tax when they should be.

Family members of employer

A person who is a member of the immediate family of the employer, and who lives with the employer is not a worker, however like directors, there is provision under the Act for immediate family members who live with the employer to be covered under an employer’s policy.

If the business is owned by an individual or partnership (not a company), immediate family members of those individuals are only covered if their personal details and their remuneration are disclosed to the insurer at the time the person commences employment, when a policy is obtained or at the renewal of a policy.

A person who is a member of the immediate family of the employer who works for the employer, but does not live with the employer, is a worker under the Act and therefore must be covered for workers compensation under a policy.

Immediate family members are:

• a spouse
• a parent (including a stepmother or stepfather) or grandparent
• a child (including a stepchild) or grandchild
• a brother or sister (including a half-brother or half-sister)

All fireworks which were manufactured greater than 12 months from the proposed date of use (Territory Day) must be re-tested prior to their use. This is to ensure the integrity of the shopgoods fireworks has not been compromised.

NT WorkSafe has invested significant time and resources over the years to ensure the integrity, not only of those shopgoods fireworks being imported but also those that have been stored for a period greater than 12 months to protect the safety of workers, emergency responders, property and the public.

NT WorkSafe will not be granting export permits for shopgoods fireworks following Territory Day 2026.

All remaining stock must be stored in compliance with licensing conditions, including maintaining accurate manifests and ensuring a responsible person is available for inspections and emergency response.

Must attend a de-brief meeting with NT WorkSafe.

Australian Explosives Code provides requirements for the transport of explosives.

Freight containers suitable to transport explosives and compliant with Australian Explosives Code may transport explosives from port of import to the first destination, this means a single journey of no more than 5 working days.

For further information refer to the Australian Explosives Code.