Consultation – Have your say

The public and government advisory agencies are invited to make submissions on the draft EIS. Under most circumstances, submissions are also invited on the IAR.

Government advisory agencies and, on occasions, the public may also be invited to comment or make submissions on:

• draft TOR for the EIS
• revised draft EIS or IAR
• application for project change.

Proponent's public consultation activities

When preparing the draft EIS or IAR, project proponents consult with stakeholders and members of the community who may be impacted by the project.

Consultation activities can include community reference groups/consultative committees, letters, public meetings, media articles, emails, newsletters and websites.

The proponent is required to report on the progress and outcomes of its public consultation activities when it provides the draft EIS or IAR to the Coordinator-General.

Proponents are also required to develop a stakeholder engagement strategy as part of the project's social impact assessment.

Meetings with advisory agencies

During the consultation period, the Coordinator-General may arrange meetings between the project proponent and advisory agencies to:

• explain the EIS process, including the agencies' roles
• enable the proponent to outline the key elements of the project, its potential impacts and possible mitigation strategies
• solicit feedback from agencies on matters of interest or concern that should be addressed in the EIS.

Notifying the public

Public notices inviting submissions on the draft TOR, draft EIS/IAR and applications for project change are published in local, regional and state newspapers. If the project is a controlled action under the Commonwealth EPBC Act, the EIS public notice is published nationally.

A list of open public consultations is available online at haveyoursay.dsd.qld.gov.au

Consultation period

Although the length of the consultation period is not prescribed, it typically runs for at least 20 business days for a draft TOR and 30 business days for a draft EIS/IAR. If the project is a controlled action under the EPBC Act, the length of the EIS consultation period must be at least 28 calendar days.

Properly made submissions

A properly made submission:

• is made in writing to the Coordinator-General
• is received on or before the deadline for submissions
• states the name and address of each submitter
• is signed by each submitter
• states the grounds of the submissions and the facts and circumstances relied on in support of the grounds.

The Coordinator-General will consider all properly made submissions and may also consider submissions that are not properly made.

Privacy

The Coordinator-General is authorised to collect personal information under the SDPWO Act.

The department will provide the project proponent with a copy of each submission, excluding personal details. Personal information may also be disclosed to government agencies that have a role in review of the proposed project, and is also subject to disclosure under the Right to Information Act 2009.

Personal information will be collected for the purpose of:

• considering your submission
• evaluating the draft EIS/IAR or application for project change
• completing the EIS/IAR or project change process
• the performance of functions under the SDPWO Act and other legislation relevant to the proposed project.

Personal information will not otherwise be disclosed, unless disclosure is authorised or required by law, or is permitted under the Information Privacy Act 2009.