This page contains a list of all available resources to assist you with the preparation and delivery of an environmental offset under the Queensland environmental offsets framework, as well as, reviewing an environmental offset condition.
Useful Guidelines
The Significant Residual Impact Guidelines outline how to assess whether a prescribed activity will, or is likely to have a significant residual impact on a matter of State environmental significance (MSES). There are two Significant Residual Impact Guidelines:
Significant Impact Guideline (PDF, 558KB) – to assess applications made under the Environmental Protection Act 1994, Nature Conservation Act 1992 and Marine Parks Act 2004
and
The Significant Impact Guideline – to assess applications made under the Planning Act 2016 or the repealed Sustainable Planning Act 2009. To view this guideline please contact the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.
The purpose of this guide is to assist in interpreting and implementing the Queensland Environmental Offsets Framework. This guide is not a statutory document. It provides:
an explanation of each step of the process in determining whether or not an environmental offset is required
guidance on how to deliver an environmental offset.
This guide is intended for use primarily by people who may have an obligation to deliver an environmental offset, businesses assisting in the sourcing or delivery of an environmental offset, and officers in various levels of government who are involved in environmental offset requirements.
This non-statutory guide to determining terrestrial habitat quality sets out how to assess the suitability of an offset site relative to an impact site, determine the appropriate size and scale of an offset relative to an impact, conduct a baseline habitat quality assessment for an advanced offset application, and assess achievement of, or progress toward achieving, a conservation outcome at an offset site.
Guide to determining terrestrial habitat quality - Version 1.3 (PDF, 1.76MB) This guide came into effect on 7 February 2020. Note that if a superseded version of the Guide to Determining Terrestrial Habitat Quality was used to undertake a baseline assessment for an impact or offset site, the same version of the methodology must be used for all subsequent assessments.
A proponent with an offset requirement may deliver their environmental offset in any of the following ways:
Financial settlement offsets a payment made into the offsets account (note: there is no refund of money paid as a financial settlement offset. You should only make payment when the impact area is certain.)
Proponent-driven offsets which includes land-based offsets and/or delivery of actions in Direct Benefit Management Plan
An advanced offset is an area of land that has been registered by the Queensland Government for potential use as an environmental offset in the future because it contains, or is capable of containing, one or more Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES).
To submit an application to register an advanced offset please complete the below form and submit to the relevant agency (i.e. Queensland Government or the local government authority). If submitting to the Queensland Government submit to: offsets@des.qld.gov.au.
After an advanced offset has been registered, the landowner may apply to amend the boundary of the advanced offset, or they may apply to remove the advanced offset from the offsets register using the below form:
This form should be submitted to the relevant agency (i.e. Queensland Government or the local government authority) that approved the advanced offset. If submitting to the Queensland Government submit via: offsets@des.qld.gov.au.
Environmental Offset Protection Area Applications
Legal security is generally required for environmental offsets to enable the protection and management of a prescribed environmental matter(s) contained on an offset site. Where legal security is required, the environmental offset must be legally secured for the duration of the impact on the prescribed environmental matter(s).
Please note, to make this application you will need to have already entered into an environmental offset agreement with either the Queensland Government or the relevant local government authority.
A DBMP is a pre-approved plan that outlines activities to be undertaken as part of an environmental offset to improve or maintain the viability of one or more matters of State environmental significance (MSES).
To be pre-approved, a Direct Benefit Management Plan application must meet the criteria outlined in Appendix 6 of the Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy.
Resources are available to assist you with reviewing decisions made regarding environmental offsets and associated conditions. The below forms include removing duplicate offset conditions, reviewing decisions made in relation to an environmental offset and amending applications made under superseded offset policies.
An authority holder seeking to remove duplicate conditions imposed on an authority granted from an application made on or after 1 July 2014 must apply using the Request to amend an authority form.
This form will need to be submitted to the administering agency for the relevant prescribed activity.
Under the Environmental Offsets Act 2014 you may apply for the review of certain decisions. Circumstances in which you may apply for an internal review of a reviewable decision are:
an administering agency’s failure to provide a notice within 40 business days after receipt of a notice of election
an administering agency decision that the offset should be delivered in a different way to that stated in a notice of election
failure by the administering agency to enter into an agreed delivery arrangement within the required period
a decision in relation to removal of duplicate conditions
a decision in relation to amending existing authorities
administering agency’s decision in relation to a proposed advanced offset, or amendment of an advanced offset.
This form will need to be submitted to the administering agency for the relevant prescribed activity.
Applications for prescribed activities that were lodged prior to the commencement of the Act (1 July 2014)—for which an environmental offset condition has been imposed on the approval—will continue to operate under the superseded offset policy in effect at that time. This includes applications to amend an existing approval, where the amendment was lodged prior to commencement of the Act.
Copies of the superseded offset policies can be obtained by visiting the online library catalogue and searching for the following titles:
Queensland Government Environmental Offset Policy
Policy for Vegetation Management Offsets
Queensland Biodiversity Offset Policy
Marine Fish Habitat Offset Policy
Offsets for Net Gain of Koala Habitat in Southeast Queensland Policy.
In some circumstances you can request that consideration be given instead to the Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy, provided that no impacts on the environmental values have occurred. Circumstances in which you may apply to amend an existing authority under section 95B of the Act are:
To allow the selection and delivery of an environmental offset in accordance with the environmental offset policy, or
To allow a financial settlement offset (however described) determined in accordance with the environmental offset policy, or
To remove a requirement to provide an environmental offset for –
an environmental value that is not a prescribed environmental matter under the Environmental Offset Act 2014; or
an impact on a prescribed environmental matter that is not a significant residual impact.
This form will need to be submitted to the administering agency for the relevant prescribed activity.
Additional Resources
Environmental Offsets Act 2014 coordinates the delivery of environmental offsets across jurisdictions and provides a single point-of-truth for offsets in Queensland.
Environmental Offsets Regulation 2014 provides details of the prescribed activities regulated under existing legislation and prescribed environmental matters to which the Act applies.
Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy provides a single, consistent, whole-of-government policy for the assessment of offset proposals to satisfy offset conditions.
For further information or assistance in relation to any of the above resources or information about the delivery of an environmental offset, please email Offsets@des.qld.gov.au
