FAQs
What is a Regulatory Sandbox?
A Regulatory Sandbox is where regulators of an industry provide
regulatory exemptions to allow for innovative products and services to be tested in a live
environment. Regulatory Sandboxes are granted for a limited period to allow for a trial of the
regulation exemption.
Which Regulations are Involved?
Only NSW state regulations are able to be considered for a sandbox
program. Regulation from other states or federeal regulations will not be considered. To find out if
the regulations you are affected by are NSW state based, you can search our database available here.
Does the Regulatory Sandbox Initiative provide funding?
No. The Regulatory Sandbox Initiative provides opportunities to
establish a Regulatory Sandbox and does not provide funding.
What are the benefits of the Regulatory Sandbox Initiative?
The introduction of Regulatory Sandboxes has the potential to:
Support businesses to accelerate the development of innovation solutions in NSW thereby
attracting new innovation to the NSW market;
Allow for the testing of innovative solutions in
real time with regulatory exemptions with an agreed set of parameters enabling more innovative
solutions to reach market benefiting consumers; and
Reduce the time to market for innovative
products and services, potentially a lower cost.
When can I make an application to take part in the Regulatory
Sandbox Initiative?
Once a Regulatory Sandbox theme is chosen applications will open.
A Regulatory Sandbox theme will be announced on our website in early 2017.
How will the focus of the Regulatory Sandboxes program be
decided?
The content of your submissions will be used to inform us where
there are regulatory barriers to innovation and potential for significant impact were those barriers
to be removed. Ultimately we'll decide the which regulations to focus on for the first Regulatory
Sandboxes program when applications open in early 2017.
I have a great idea for a Regulatory Sandbox theme that's not
listed on the website, what do I do?
You can nominate a Regulatory Sandbox theme that has not been
listed. All you need to do is select the "other" theme on the submission form.
What is the application process for entering into a Regulatory
Sandbox arrangement?
The application process for entering into a Regulatory Sandbox is
as follows:
A Regulatory Sandbox theme is chosen and applications to participate in the
Regulatory Sandbox program are open.
Applicants can then lodge an application online.
Applicants should read the application assessment criteria prior to lodging an application to gain an
understanding of what we are looking for.
Applications are assessed and successful applicants
will be invited to negotiate a Regulatory Sandbox for a set period of time with the relevant
regulator. This is not a guarantee that a Regulatory Sandbox arrangement will be entered
into.
If a Regulatory Sandbox is agreed on, an invitation will be published on our website
inviting others in the same industry to apply for a Regulatory Sandbox
arrangement.
Unsuccessful applicants will be informed and provided with feedback on their
application.
I'm not getting e-mail notifications, what's wrong?
For some e-mail systems, your spam filter may send our e-mail
notifications to your junk folder. Please check your junk or spam folder if you are not receiving
notifications such as confirmation of your submission. If you find such e-mail in your junk folder,
you can mark our e-mail address as a safe sender and you should then have all future notifications go
to your inbox. If you are sure you should be receiving notifications and you have nothing in your
spam/junk folder, contact us at innovation@nsw.gov.au
What methodology, framework or approach will the sandbox use to
explore/test ideas?
The rationale for our methodology is that for regulation to be
agile, we need to test new products and services in a safe harbour from existing regulation to
properly assess the impact on society. This is what a sandbox program aims to do. This allows
government, industry and the public to better assess an innovation and how to appropriatley regulate
it using data from trials done in the market.
Do I have to have a solution already or can it be just an idea?
You need to have a solution that can be sold as a product or
service. It doesn't need to be the final version, but rather a Minimal Viable Product that will
satisfy your customers need/want to some extent. You will also need to be able to clearly identify
the regulations you need relief from and why they are a barrier to you delivering your
innovation.
If a business is already operating, what is the risk of getting
a worse outcome than the current status quo by raising an issue that is not on regulators radar?
In the case where you are aware that there are regulations that
cover your activity it is recommended that you approach the regulatory and discuss whether you can
get an exemption for your activity or if not, then approach the Regulatory Sandboxes team. In cases
where you are uncertain if there are regulations that may affect your operation, at the very least
conduct some research and if you conclude that it is likely you are covered, seek clarification, you
may wish to do this by getting independant legal advice.
