Environmental incidents

We care about protecting Queensland’s environment. When something goes wrong, we act quickly and report. Why? Because it helps us:

• Do better – learn from mistakes and improve how we work
• Be transparent – the community expects honesty about our environmental performance
• Follow the law – meet all legal requirements
• Share information – keep everyone informed, inside and outside government.

Our process for managing environmental incidents is explained in Guidance Note 015: Environmental Incident Management (May 2025).

What counts as an environmental incident?

An environmental incident happens when work under our control:

• causes, or could cause, harm to the environment
• breaks any environmental laws.

This could be anything from a chemical spill to clearing vegetation without approval.

Real-life example

Imagine a road construction site where heavy rain washes soil into a nearby creek. This sediment can harm fish and water quality.

That’s an environmental incident because it causes environmental harm and may breach water protection laws.

In this case, we would report the incident, take steps to stop further runoff, and work on preventing it from happening again.

How do we report incidents?

The Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) leads environmental incident management. We must notify DETSI if environmental harm occurs. This is in addition to any other reporting required under state or Commonwealth laws.

Our goal is simple: protect the environment, act responsibly, and keep the community informed.