Compliance
- DERM Compliance Update e-newsletter
- Compliance strategy
- Annual compliance plans
- Compliance alerts
- Compliance projects
- Enforcement guidelines
The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) is committed to a green, strong and sustainable Queensland. It delivers on this commitment by ensuring that Queenslanders comply with their legal obligations to use and manage natural resources in a sustainable way and protect the environment.
DERM’s approach encourages voluntary compliance with Queensland’s environmental and natural resource management laws. This is achieved through a range of activities, including:
- education and awareness-raising about the laws and how to comply with them
- monitoring compliance
- rewarding good performers
- taking enforcement action to deter further non-compliance.
DERM Compliance Update e-newsletter
As part of its commitment to being transparent with the community, DERM publishes compliance and enforcement-related information. The DERM Compliance Update e-newsletter is a regular e-mail bulletin sent to subscribers to increase their awareness of important compliance and enforcement information.
Previous DERM Compliance Update e-newsletters are available and you can subscribe to receive future e-newsletters by email.
Compliance strategy
DERM proactively manages and monitors risks to Queensland’s environment and natural resources through the implementation of a targeted and transparent compliance strategy, supported by a modern and strong enforcement capability.
The Compliance Strategy 2010–14 (PDF, 239K)* conveys principles and strategies to ensure that the compliance program delivers on DERM’s objectives.
Annual compliance plans
DERM’s annual compliance plan informs the Queensland community of its planned compliance activities in the coming year. This allows the greatest risks to Queensland’s environment and natural resources to be proactively addressed.
Annual Compliance Plan 2011-12 (PDF, 936K)*
Previous compliance plans
- Annual Compliance Plan 2010–11 (PDF, 163K)*
- Annual Compliance Plan 2009–10 (PDF, 86K)*
- Tactical Compliance Plan 2008–09 (PDF, 193K)*
Compliance alerts
DERM is committed to providing guidance material to tell clients how they can comply with their environmental and natural resource obligations. DERM publishes compliance alerts that discuss common compliance issues relevant to a particular sector.
The compliance alerts will include a description of problems encountered, the strategies that clients can implement to address those problems, and case studies that provide practical examples of the consequences of those problems.
Compliance projects
The annual compliance plan lists a number of complex proactive compliance projects. Reports and other public documents relevant to these projects will be published on the department’s website.
Final compliance report – Review of Queensland Industrial Estates
The Review of Queensland Industrial Estates (PDF, 370K)* inspection project forms part the Queensland Government’s accelerated planning initiative. This initiative is designed to address the issues associated with planning, managing, and regulating industrial land use and industrial activity.
A total of 57 industrial estates, comprised of 3261 sites overall, were inspected over three years to assess the level of compliance with environmental legislation and to identify the immediate risks associated with the operation of licensed industries.
This report:
- summarises the results of the inspection program
- sets out the key findings of the program
- includes recommendations in relation to the environmental regulation of industrial activities in the future
- identifies eight sites, located within six industrial estates, as presenting high to very high environmental risk, which are now subject to further inspection under the Industrial Estates Implementation (High Risk) Project.
Ongoing compliance project – Erosion and Sediment Control Compliance Project (ESCCP)
The Erosion and Sediment Control Compliance Project (ESCCP) is a three-year project (2009-12), which aims to protect the environmental values of south-east Queensland waterways through a targeted inspection program that focuses on erosion and sediment control during the construction phase of urban land developments and infrastructure projects.
A procedural guide, the Standard Work Method for the Assessment of the Lawfulness of Erosion and Sediment Control Practices - South-East Queensland (PDF, 98K)*, has been developed to assist DERM and local government officers to assess the lawfulness of releases of contaminated water or sediment build up in waterways downstream of construction sites. It also provides stakeholders with clarification on the expectation of the regulators, and forms a basis for DERM to be able to work more closely with key clients, including other state government departments involved in construction activities in south-east Queensland.
For further information on the project, refer to the fact sheet Erosion and Sediment Control: Construction Sites and Waterway Health in south-east Queensland (PDF, 82K)*.
Enforcement guidelines
DERM works with the community and industry to achieve good environmental performance and sustainable natural resource management. It achieves this by providing advice, technical assistance and supporting innovation.
In appropriate cases, DERM will take enforcement action against those who ignore their legal obligations.
DERM has developed enforcement guidelines (PDF, 306K)* to ensure that its enforcement responses are:
- proportionate to the conduct involved
- consistent with past responses to similar conduct
- completed in a timely fashion.
These guidelines assist DERM in choosing an enforcement response, and inform those regulated by DERM about the standards that are expected when their activities affect Queensland’s natural assets.
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Last updated 8 December 2011
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