Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERA's) are activities that will, or have the potential to, release contaminants into the environment that may cause environmental harm. It is a requirement of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 that anyone who conducts an ERA must hold a development approval for that activity and a registration certificate.

ERA's administered by Council
ERA's not administered by Council
Making an Application for Development Approval for ERA or increasing the size of an existing ERA
Making an Application for Registration Certificate for ERA
Making an application for continuing registration
Notification to cancel or surrender an ERA Registration Certificate
Annual Returns
Notifiable Activities under the Environmental Protection Act 1994

ERA's administered by Council

Council is responsible for regulating devolved ERA's under the Environmental Protection Act 1994.

• ERA 4 Poultry farming (more than 1000 birds)
• ERA 6 Asphalt manufacturing
• ERA 8 Chemical storage (between 10m³ to 500m³ class C1 or
  C2 combustible liquids under AS 1940 or dangerous foods
  class 3)
• ERA 12 Plastic product manufacturing (50 tonne or more of plastic
  products per year; or 5 tonne or more of foam, composite
  plastics or rigid fibre reinforced plastics per year)
• ERA 17 Abrasive blasting
• ERA 18 Boiler making or engineering (200 tonne to 10,000 tonne
  per year)
• ERA 19 Metal forming (10,000 tonne or more per year)
• ERA 20 Metal recovery (less than 100 tonne per day; or more than
  100 tonne per day or 10,000 tonne per year)
• ERA 21 Motor vehicle workshop operation
• ERA 37 Printing (200 tonne or more per year)
• ERA 38 Surface coating (1 tonne or 100 tonne per year)
• ERA 43 Concrete batching (200 tonne or more per year)
• ERA 48 Wooden and laminated product manufacturing (100 tonne
  or more of wooden product per year)
• ERA 49 Boat maintenance or repair
• ERA 61 Waste incineration and thermal treatment

ERA's not administered by Council

ERA's not devolved to local government, listed under Chapter 4 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008, must be notified to the Department of Environmental and Resource Management (DERM). The following activities require approval by DERM:

• ERA 1 Aquaculture
• ERA 2 Intensive animal feed lotting
• ERA 3 Pig keeping
• ERA 5 Alcohol production
• ERA 7 Chemical manufacturing
• ERA 8 Chemical storage (other than above)
• ERA 9 Hydrocarbon gas refining
• ERA 10 Gas production
• ERA 11 Oil refining or processing
• ERA 13 Tyre manufacturing
• ERA 14 Electricity generation
• ERA 15 Fuel burning
• ERA 16 Extractive screening activities
• ERA 20 Metal recovery (only with fragmentiser)
• ERA 22 Beverage production
• ERA 23 Bottling and canning
• ERA 24 Edible oil manufacturing or processing
• ERA 25 Meat processing
• ERA 26 Milk processing
• ERA 27 Seafood processing
• ERA 28 Sugar milling or refining
• ERA 29 Metal foundry operation
• ERA 30 Metal smelting and refining
• ERA 31 Mineral processing
• ERA 32 Battery manufacturing
• ERA 33 Crushing, milling, grinding or screening
• ERA 34 Mushroom growing substrate manufacture
• ERA 35 Plastic manufacturing
• ERA 36 Pulp or paper manufacturing
• ERA 38 Surface coating (more than 100 tonne)
• ERA 39 Tanning
• ERA 40 Textile manufacturing
• ERA 41 Cement manufacturing
• ERA 42 Clay or ceramic manufacturing
• ERA 44 Glass or glass fibre manufacturing
• ERA 45 Mineral wool or ceramic fibre manufacturing
• ERA 46 Chemically treating timber
• ERA 47 Timber milling and wood chipping
• ERA 50 Bulk material handling
• ERA 51 Road tunnel ventilation stack operation
• ERA 52 Battery recycling
• ERA 53 Composting and soil conditioner manufacturing
• ERA 54 Drum and container reconditioning
• ERA 55 Regulated waste recycling or reprocessing
• ERA 56 Regulated waste storage
• ERA 57 Regulated waste transport
• ERA 58 Regulated waste treatment
• ERA 59 Tyre recycling
• ERA 60 Waste disposal
• ERA 61 Waste incineration and thermal treatment (except for waste
  vegetation, clean paper or cardboard)
• ERA 62 Waste transfer station operation
• ERA 63 Sewage treatment
• ERA 64 Water treatment

Making application for Development Approval for ERA or increasing the size of an exisitng ERA 

Applications for ERA's are assessed under the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) within the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. This process involves assessing the application against the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to ensure the proposed activity will not cause environmental harm. Following successful completion of the IDAS process, a development approval may be issued.

If your business requires assessment under the Planning Scheme, you are required to contact Council's Development Assessment Unit to determine their requirements. You will be required to submit an ERA application along with a Development Application. Council's Environment and Public Health Unit will assess your ERA application as part of the application process.

If you have already received a development approval for the site but have not included an ERA application, you will be required to submit it separately to Council's Environment and Public Health Unit. The application will be subject to IDAS timeframes and you will not be allowed to operate the environmentally relevant activity until the ERA application has been approved and a registration certificate has been obtained.

Application fees required to be submitted with the development application are listed in Council's Fees and Charges. When the application is submitted, the development application fee and annual fee for the activity are payable.

The application must be completed in full with supporting documentation attached and the relevant fees must be paid on lodgement.

Application for Registration Certificate for Environmentally Relevant Activity
IDAS Form 1 - Application Details
IDAS Form 8 - Environmentally Relevant Activity
IDAS Checklist - Material Change of Use Part 2

Making an Application for Registration Certificate for ERA

The Environmental Protection Act 1994 requires that any person carrying out an ERA must hold, or be acting under, a registration certificate for the activity. Once your Development Application has been approved and you are ready to open the business, you are required to apply for a registration certificate to operate the business (if not already submitted).

Once your Development Application is approved, you have 30 business days to apply for a Registration Certificate without charge provided you apply prior to operating the ERA.

If you are applying for a registration certificate at the same time as Development Approval, after commencement of the ERA or after the 30 business days from the Development Application Approval the fee will be calculated as:

• Development Approval - application fee plus annual fee
• Registration Certificate - application fee plus annual fee

NOTE: The annual fee is paid twice and an application fee is charged for both the Development Approval and Registration Certificate.

Application for Registration Certificate for Environmentally Relevant Activity

Making an application for multiple activities

If an application is being made for multiple activities at two or more premises on a single registration certificate, an additional attachment to the registration application form must be submitted to demonstrate that these activities will be managed as part of a single integrated operation.

You will be advised of the decision to grant a single registration certificate or multiple registration certificates.

When applying for multiple activities as a single integrated operation, the fee payable is the application fee plus the highest annual fee of the activities being applied for. If Council's Environment and Public Health Unit decides to grant more than one registration certificate the additional fees will be advised.

Making an application for continuing registration

If you are taking over a business from an existing operator, you will need to indicate on the registration certificate application form that you are applying for a continuing registration. In addition to the standard details on the registration form, the details and signatures of the new operator and the existing operator will be required.

It is a requirement that the existing operator notify the buyer of the need to hold a registration certificate.

It is also recommended that you conduct a business search to determine if there are any outstanding requisitions or outstanding fees owed by the business. There are three types of searches as follows:

Activity Facility Records Search - Current status of licence/registration records only (does not include an inspection report).

Single Activity/Facility Search and Inspection - Current status of licence/registration records and current inspection report where applicable. Applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee and consent of the licence/registration holder.

Multiple Activity/ Facility Search and Inspection - Current status of licence/registration records and current inspection report where applicable for multiple activities at the one premise (eg. ERA and DGSM at the one premise). Applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee and consent of the licence/registration holder.

Property Search Form

Notification to cancel or surrender an ERA Registration Certificate

You are required to surrender your registration certificate if you have closed down and no longer operate the ERA activities as listed on your registration certificate.

There are no fees associated with this form and you can submit your completed application form to Council's Environment and Public Health Unit. In your application, you will need to include details demonstrating that the site was left in an environmentally sound state and that you complied with the conditions of your Development Approval.

The original Registration Certificate should be attached to this application.

Application to Surrender of Registration Certificate for an Environmentally Relevant Activity

Annual Returns

At least 22 business days before each anniversary day for the registration certificate, Rockhampton Regional Council is required to give the registration certificate holder an annual notice requiring the holder to pay the annual fee and to complete an annual return. The annual notice and payment must be received by the due date.

Notifiable Activities under the Environmental Protection Act 1994

Under Schedule 3 of the Environmental Protection Act 1994, certain activities are defined as notifiable activities. If the owner or occupier of land becomes aware a notifiable activity is being carried out on the land, the owner or occupier must give notice to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM).

DERM Form Contaminated Land - Notification of Land

For more information click on related links and documents or contact Council's Customer Service Centre on 1300 22 55 77.