Targeted compliance

Targets

Implemented a dynamic compliance prioritisation framework.
Enhanced remote sensing and monitoring capability utilising emerging technologies.

We use a variety of community, industry and technology-based intelligence sources to identify non-compliance.
We are enhancing our air monitoring activities in the Swanbank and New Chum industrial areas including rolling out new monitoring equipment and reconfiguring our existing monitoring network in response to community reports about odour.

Information about our compliance and enforcement framework is published online.
Our compliance program targets the activities that pose the greatest potential risk to Queensland’s environment and communities.
We monitor licensed operators through regular proactive and reactive compliance activities to identify breaches and areas of poor performance.
We continue to build a culture of improved voluntary compliance within industry and improve compliance practices.
Regional compliance planning is undertaken in each of our four compliance regions (North, Central, Southeast and Southwest) to ensure that local priority risks are accounted for.
Compliance priorities are published online.

We have strong processes and systems in place for gathering information and intelligence on activities to inform compliance including a dedicated intelligence team.
Our dedicated intelligence team provides operational and tactical support to direct compliance and investigation activities and produce intelligence products to identify emerging issues.
We have undertaken joint compliance actions with other regulatory agencies such as:
- Operation Sidero which targeted metal recyclers and involved officers from the environmental regulator, Office of Fair Trading, the Queensland Police Service and 11 local government agencies.
- Asbestos in mulch which targeted private and local government landfills and composters throughout Queensland and involved officers from the environmental regulator and the Office of Industrial Relations.

We continue to consolidate the Reef Compliance Program to deliver effective and efficient regulation of the Great Barrier Reef Protection Measures.
The Reef Regulations Compliance webpages provide information about our compliance approach and provide a link to the Compliance Dashboard.
The Compliance Dashboard details compliance data for our inspection program of sugarcane and banana producers and graziers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

Through the online Public Register Portal (Environmental Protection Act 1994), people can search, view and download the following statutory enforcement notices:

We encourage members of the public to report incidents or illegal activities through the Pollution Hotline.
In 2023 we launched an online environmental reporting form which can be used to report an environmental incident from either a desktop or mobile device.
We provide updates on compliance outcomes through our Regulatory Update newsletters to keep the community aware of important compliance and enforcement information.
We also publish regular Swanbank and New Chum odour updates.

As part of a compliance inspection or investigation, our officers may use equipment to measure things like noise, take water samples, and may also use drones (RPAS), and audio-visual devices to record inspections. The Overt and Covert recording fact sheet provides an overview of when officers will use recording devices.
In response to an influx of community reports about odour issues in the Salisbury Moorooka area in late June 2023, compliance officers undertook odour surveillance, compliance inspections, and made use of technology including remote weather sensing equipment and Summa Canisters to collect air samples.
In July 2023, a construction company was fined $40,000 after they were caught on camera by our compliance officers illegally accepting, stockpiling and crushing concrete waste despite receiving orders to stop.