Searching Queensland Environmental Authority Register

You search Queensland's environmental authority (EA) register online and free of charge through the Department's public register portal at apps.des.qld.gov.au/public-register. The register is kept under sections 540 and 540A of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (FAQ).

Approach: I read the Queensland Government's official public register pages and the EA search form. Our datasets include copies of Queensland's Environmental Authorities Register and EA Applications Register, but I couldn't run a sample search on them this time.

Steps

1. Open the portal and choose a search type. You can search (public register page):

   • environmental authorities
   • EA applications (valid applications received or decided since August 2021)
   • enforcement actions
   • estimated rehabilitation costs
   • suitable operators
   • temporary emissions licences (from 2012)
   • progressive rehabilitation and closure plans
   • post-surrender management reports
   • plans of operations (received since November 2023)

2. For EAs, use the EA search form. You can filter by:

   • permit number
   • permit holder
   • status (Cancelled, Disclaimed, Expired, Granted, Granted - Not Effective, Surrendered, Suspended)
   • condition type (site-specific, standard, variation)
   • activity (ERA)
   • industry
   • effective-from and effective-to dates
   • postcode or locality
   • local government area

   Results include current, expired, cancelled and surrendered versions of permits. The same page has an Excel download listing all issued EAs.

3. Search tips from the FAQ:

   • Reference numbers: a permit, application or enforcement number gives the most targeted result.
   • Combining fields: each extra field narrows the results; fewer fields give broader results.
   • Wildcards: * matches uncertain spellings, so "Bri*e" finds both Brisbane and Bribie.
   • Several values: hold Ctrl to pick more than one item in a dropdown.
   • Limits: not every field supports wildcards or multi-select.

4. Watch for these when reading results:

   • Duplicate-looking ERAs: the register holds both historical and current ERA descriptions, so the same activity can appear twice (for example, ERA 55 "Regulated waste recycling" and ERA 55 "Other waste processing").
   • Previous holders: enforcement records linked to an EA may relate to an earlier permit holder, not the current one (EA search form).

Documents not online

• Why some are missing: older records may not be digitised yet, and recent ones may not be published yet.
• How to get them: use the Public Register Information Request form.
• Timing and cost: replies usually take 10 to 75 business days. Records on the portal are free; copies supplied outside it may attract reasonable fees under section 543 of the Act (FAQ).
• Contact: public.register@detsi.qld.gov.au or 1300 130 372, option 4 (public register page).

Related registers

• Contaminated land: searched separately, and fees apply (contaminated land registers).
• EA applications open for public notification: listed on the current EA applications page.

If you give me a permit holder, permit number or activity, I can run that search against our copy of the EA registers.