Environmental codes of practice for industry

Industry codes of practice have been developed to help businesses comply with their general environmental duty and the Environmental Protection Act 1994.

Codes are usually prepared by industry bodies and advise members on how to prevent or minimise environmental harm.

Complying with an approved code of practice is voluntary but, by proving your compliance, you can defend a charge of unlawfully causing environmental harm.

Approved environmental codes

The following industry codes of practice have been approved by the Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef.

Concrete batching

Concrete batching industry code of practice (ESR/2015/1715) (PDF, 327KB)
Expired 7 August 2021
Developed by Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia, Local Government Association of Queensland and the Queensland Government

Mosquito management

Mosquito management code of practice (ESR/2016/3089) (PDF, 2.1MB)
Expires 11 December 2021
Prepared by the Local Government Association of Queensland

Mareeba Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme algal management code of practice

Mareeba Dimbulah Water Supply Scheme algal management code of practice (PDF, 930KB) and explanatory guide and monitoring program (PDF, 1.2MB)
Expires 2 October 2027
Developed by Queensland Government and Sunwater

Motor vehicle workshop

Motor vehicle workshop code of practice (ESR/2015/1716) (PDF, 660KB)
Expired 26 June 2021
Developed by the Motor Traders Association of Queensland, Local Government Association of Queensland and the Queensland Government

Queensland Murray-Darling Basin Store and Release

Queensland Murray-Darling Basin Store and Release code of practice (PDF, 574KB) and explanatory guide (PDF, 504KB)
Expires 17 December 2023
Developed by the Queensland Government and Cotton Australia

Transport noise management – Volume 2 – Construction noise and vibration

Transport noise management code of practice (ESR/2016/3084) (PDF, 1.4MB)
Expires 28 July 2023
Developed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads

Developing a code of practice

To develop an environmental code of practice for your industry, you need to be a:

• leading Industry or government association for Queensland (e.g. Queensland Farmers' Federation or Local Government Association of Queensland)
• leading business for your industry (e.g. Queensland Rail).

To develop a code of practice, you can download the:

• developing codes of practice information sheet (ESR/2015/1695) (PDF, 47KB)
• code of practice template (ESR/2015/1687) (DOCX, 185KB)*.

*Note: You can use the Motor vehicle workshop code of practice listed above as an example, since it was developed using this template.

Also consider...

• Find out about complying with an environmental authority.
• Learn about the general approach to Enforcement guidelines (PDF, 421KB).
• Read the codes of practice for work, health and safety.