All projects approved under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) and permits granted under the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981 may be subject to a compliance audit by the Department.
Compliance audits help to ensure projects with the potential to impact on matters of national environmental significance are implemented as planned.The audits also assist the Australian Government to understand how well approval conditions are being understood and applied, and contribute to improving the effectiveness of the Department's operations.
The Department’s Compliance Plan 2019-2023 sets out our priority compliance outcomes.
Compliance Auditing Plan
The Compliance Auditing Plan focuses on projects across all sectors including mining and energy, government, transport, ports and marine, urban development, tourism and recreation. Projects are chosen for audit based on either a random selection process or a risk-focused strategic selection process which focuses on projects within priority, high risk sectors.
The objectives of the Compliance Auditing Plan are to:
- Measure compliance with conditions attached to approval and permit decisions, and requirements outlined in particular manner decisions
- Identify any non-compliances and ensure they are appropriately addressed through education, remediation or enforcement actions as appropriate
- Evaluate conditions and requirements for enforceability, comprehension and ease of assessment
- Demonstrate to the community that there are systems in place for measuring and enforcing compliance
Compliance and enforcement publications
- Compliance Policy - 2019
- Compliance Audits completed in 2019 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2018 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2017 - Summary of findings
- Compliance Audits completed in 2016 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2015 - Summary of findings
- Compliance monitoring and auditing Fact sheet - 2015
- Compliance audits completed in 2014 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2013 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2012 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2011 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2010 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2009 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2008 - Summary of findings
- Compliance audits completed in 2007 - Summary of findings
- Burnett River Dam (Paradise Dam) - final compliance audit report - 2007
- Compliance audits completed in 2006 - Summary of findings
- Independent Audit and Audit Report Guidelines - 2019
More information
For more information about the Compliance Auditing Plan contact:
Director, Environmental Audit Section
Office of Compliance
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Email: audit@environment.gov.au