Contaminated land audits in Queensland aren’t standard consulting jobs—they’re statutory functions under the EP Act and Auditor Handbook. Scope is set by law, not client direction, and auditors must maintain independence. Standard PO terms often conflict with these obligations. The safest approach? Use auditor-specific terms that preserve compliance and professional integrity.

Consultants working in contaminated land assessment must balance good intentions with professional responsibility. Mixed fill sites pose high uncertainty, and shortcutting guidelines can mislead landowners and increase risk. Your role is to provide clear, evidence-based advice so landowners can make informed decisions. The risk, responsibility, and reward remain with them—your fee reflects your own boundaries.

Contamination is the presence of harmful substances in soil, water, or air. Contaminated land is land where those substances pose a serious or material risk to health or the environment. In contrast, clean earth is natural soil, rock, or sand free from waste or hazardous contaminants—safe for reuse and exempt from regulation.

Contaminated land management in Queensland is shaped by two distinct frameworks: the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site...

Having a clear and simple definition of what constitutes clean earth or clean fill seems like a no-brainer, but it is something that has...

Updated 22 September 2025 Contaminated land auditors  are independent professionals approved under Queensland’s Environmental Protection...

In Queensland, contaminated land auditors fill the role of independent certifiers of contaminated land investigations and related work on...

Queenslanders know Queensland is special, and when it comes to contaminated land audits and assessments, it's no different. Contaminated...

The Queensland Government has established a scheme for giving approval to contaminated land auditors to undertake certain functions on...

In Queensland you can do a contaminated land assessment without engaging an auditor, but if you want a statutory decision about your land...

Developers often want, or need, certainty before they proceed with land development. This one's a bit dry, but explains why auditor's...

When building infrastructure, passing through, over or under a contamianted site can cause significant delays and increased costs if not...

Wondering how the contaminated land assessment and audit process works and how everything and everyone fits together? Check out the flow...

In addition to the human health and environmental risks of ignorantly using contaminated land, there is a financial risk of being unaware.