Coordinated projects

A proponent of a project with one or more of the following characteristics may apply to the Coordinator-General to have it declared a coordinated project under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act):

• complex approval requirements, involving local, state and federal governments
• significant environmental effects
• strategic significance to the locality, region or state, including for the infrastructure, economic and social benefits, capital investment or employment opportunities it may provide
• significant infrastructure requirements.

The Coordinator-General chooses the weight attributed to each of the above factors. The Coordinator-General is not bound to declare a project a coordinated project merely because it satisfies one or more of these characteristics. The Coordinator-General may also independently declare a coordinated project if justified.

In making the declaration decision, the Coordinator-General must have regard to:

• detailed information about the project given by the proponent in an initial advice statement
• relevant planning schemes or policy frameworks of a local government, the State or the Commonwealth
• relevant State policies and government priorities
• a pre-feasibility assessment of the project, including how it satisfies an identified need or demand
• the capacity of the proponent to undertake and complete the required environmental impact assessment for the project
• any other matter considered relevant.

Two types of declaration

There are two types of coordinated project declaration:

• requiring an environmental impact statement (EIS)
• requiring an impact assessment report (IAR).

Coordinated project declarations are published in the Queensland Government Gazette.

Current and completed coordinated projects

• Coordinated projects currently going through EIS process
• Coordinated projects for which the EIS process is complete
• Coordinated projects map

Purpose of declaration

A coordinated project declaration means the project requires a rigorous impact assessment involving whole-of-government coordination, either by a comprehensive EIS or a targeted IAR.

Once a project has been declared, the experienced team at the Office of the Coordinator-General can provide a coordinated approach for Proponents to navigate the local, state and commonwealth (if required) approvals.

The Coordinator-General ensures government agencies, stakeholders and the public are adequately consulted to:

• address all environmental, cultural and social values
• consider existing industry and surrounding infrastructure are effectively managed and
• ensure all impacts are reduced or appropriately mitigated and/or offset.

Facilitating the engagement of all the relevant Government agencies through one point of contact provides efficiency to support projects to meet their project milestones.

A coordinated project declaration does not imply government approval of, support for, or commitment to the project in question.

The declaration does not exempt the project proponent from the need to:

• obtain necessary development approvals
• comply with relevant planning and environment laws and planning instruments.

Scope of an EIS

The EIS is prepared in accordance with the terms of reference for the EIS. The EIS provides a comprehensive description of:

• the current environment in the area of the project
• all potential environmental impacts of the project
• proponent proposals to avoid, minimise, mitigate and/or offset those potential impacts.

The impacts include direct, indirect and cumulative impacts resulting from the construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of the project.

Scope of an IAR

An IAR process may be used if the Coordinator-General is satisfied that the environmental effects of the project do not, having regard to their scale and extent, require assessment through the EIS process. It may be used for well-defined, low-medium risk projects where the likely impacts are highly predictable and the proponent's well-defined proposals to avoid, minimize, mitigate and/or offset those impacts are accepted best-practice in that industry. The IAR:

• has no formal terms of reference
• is focused mostly on the:
  • locations that may be subject to adverse impacts if not appropriately managed
  • potential impacts that are either uncertain, or
  • proposed mitigation measures that depart from accepted management practices or standard conditions for that industry.

Environment definition under the Act

Under the SDPWO Act, the environment is defined as:

• ecosystems and their constituent parts, including people and communities
• all natural and physical resources
• the qualities and characteristics of locations, places and areas, however large or small, that contribute to their biological diversity and integrity, intrinsic or attributed scientific value or interest, amenity, harmony and sense of community
• the social, economic, aesthetic and cultural conditions that affect, or are affected by, the things mentioned above.

Refusal of application

If the Coordinator-General refuses to declare a coordinated project, the Coordinator-General must inform the applicant in writing, including a statement of reasons for the refusal.

Lapsing of EIS and IAR

From 1 October 2014, a draft EIS must be accepted by the Coordinator-General as the final EIS within 18 months of the terms of reference for the EIS being finalised; and a draft IAR as the final IAR within 18 months of the declaration being made - unless an extension is granted by the Coordinator-General. Otherwise, the coordinated project declaration lapses.

• Coordinated projects lapsed or discontinued

Environmental assessment laws

The SDPWO Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation in Queensland under which the environmental impacts of development projects can be assessed. Examples of other legislation are the:

• Environmental Protection Act 1994
• Planning Act 2016

Changes to impact assessment legislation

The SDPWO Act was amended by the State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (Red Tape Reduction) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014. This fact sheet provides a summary of changes ( 106.4 KB) that commenced 1 October 2014.

Other approvals processes suspended

The Office of the Coordinator-General manages the state government's evaluation of the project.

The coordinated project process replaces the information and referral stages of a related assessment under both the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and an environmental authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1994.

The decision stage under both Acts commences when the Coordinator-General's evaluation report on the EIS or IAR is provided to the relevant assessment.

Subsequently, a wide range of government departments (known as 'advisory agencies') are responsible for reviewing the draft EIS or draft IAR. The draft EIS/IAR is also considered by relevant local governments and the Australian Government.