In Queensland, contaminated land auditors fill the role of independent certifiers of contaminated land investigations and related work on behalf of the Queensland State Government in the same way that building certifiers certify building work on behalf of local governments.
Contaminated land can present hazards to users and the environment. Consequently, the assessment and use of contaminated land in Australia are regulated by state governments. In Queensland, the role of the contaminated land auditor is to ensure that the contaminated land investigation is undertaken and documented to the standards required by the Queensland State Government Department of Environment and Science (DES), as the administering authority, and that the outcomes documented reasonably reflect the condition of the land based on the information provided for audit. Auditors do not complete the investigation work. Independent certification systems exist because state governments do not possess the resources, knowledge and skills to review all contaminated land investigation document (CLID) submissions.
DES keeps registers of contaminated and potentially contaminated land in Queensland (the Environmental Management Register (EMR) and the Contaminated Land Register (CLR)) and auditor-certified reports must be submitted when a change to these records is needed. Generally, this happens when the land is undergoing a material change of use (MCU) such as former industrial use land changing to residential use land. The registers assist DES to decide what uses contaminated and potentially contaminated land may be safely used for, and make Queensland's contaminated land management system one of the most robust in Australia.
To affect a change to the registers allowing a change of use, which may include removing the land from the EMR or issuing Site Management Plan (SMP) for the land. so it is safe to use for a different land use, a CLID is prepared by a suitably qualified person and certified by a contaminated land auditor before submission by the landowner to the administering authority. The process is documented in this post How the assessment and audit process works.
Christian Atkinson is an approved contaminated land auditor in Queensland with more than 25 years of experience. Any discussion is general in nature and does not consider your specific circumstances. It should not be taken as legal or financial advice. If you are considering acting on any matters discussed, you should seek advice from qualified and experienced professionals.
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