Queensland’s 2026 “Efficiency & Streamlining” Bill: Less Red Tape, Sharper Environmental Focus
Queensland’s Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 are set to reshape how environmental risks are regulated across the state in 2026. Framed as an administrative reform, the Bill goes well beyond process improvement, it fundamentally changes how Environmentally Relevant Activities (ERAs) are identified and managed, while simultaneously strengthening protections for matters of Significant Environmental Value (SEV), particularly for air and water.
For industry, the reforms promise faster pathways and reduced regulatory burden for genuinely low‑risk activities. For sensitive environments and communities, they signal a more targeted and defensible focus on higher‑risk impacts.
Reframing How ERAs Are Regulated
Under the current framework, most ERAs require an environmental authority (EA), regardless of their risk profile. The Bill introduces a shift toward a risk‑based regulatory model, enabling certain lower‑risk ERAs to operate under ERA codes instead of individual EAs.
ERA codes are intended to apply where:
- Environmental risks are well understood;
- Effective controls are established and routinely implemented; and
- Residual risks can be prevented or managed through standardised requirements.
Where an activity is declared code‑managed, operators may no longer need to apply for an EA, pay annual fees, or provide financial assurance, provided they comply with the relevant code. Contravention of a code, however, will remain an offence under the Environmental Protection Act.
This approach is expected to remove thousands of lower‑risk activities from the EA system, allowing regulatory effort to be redirected toward higher‑impact sites and activities.
Reduced Burden, But Not Reduced Responsibility
While the reforms are often described as “streamlining,” they do not represent a relaxation of environmental standards. Instead, they rely on clearer upfront expectations and less administrative duplication.
Importantly:
- Operators can still opt to obtain an EA instead of operating under a code;
- Activities with residual or site‑specific risk profiles will remain EA‑regulated; and
- Enforcement powers and offence provisions are not reduced.
In practice, this means that compliance expectations may become more explicit, not less, particularly for operators who transition from bespoke EA conditions to standardised code requirements.
Stronger Protection for Significant Environmental Values
A critical counterbalance to the reduction in red tape is the Bill’s emphasis on identifying and protecting Significant Environmental Values (SEVs) for air, water, and land.
The reforms aim to:
- Embed clearer recognition of high‑value environmental receptors;
- Prioritise protection of sensitive environments and communities;
- Ensure low‑risk activities are only streamlined where SEVs are not compromised.
This has particular implications for air quality and water resources, where cumulative impacts, episodic emissions, or changing land uses can elevate risk even for otherwise modest operations.
In effect, the regulatory framework becomes lighter for genuinely low‑risk activities, but potentially sharper and more focused where SEVs are present.
What This Means for Proponents
For project proponents and operators, the reforms introduce both opportunity and obligation.
Opportunities include:
- Faster commencement for low‑risk activities;
- Reduced application and compliance costs; and
- Greater certainty where codes clearly define acceptable practice.
At the same time, proponents will need to:
- Understand whether their activity genuinely qualifies as low risk;
- Demonstrate compliance with ERA codes in practice, not just on paper; and
- Consider whether proximity to sensitive receptors elevates regulatory expectations—even where an activity appears routine.
Projects that rely on assumptions of “standard practice” without a clear understanding of local environmental values may still face scrutiny under the revised framework.
Implications for Air and Water Assessments
The Bill reinforces a trend already evident across Australian jurisdictions: fewer approvals do not mean less assessment.
For air and water impacts in particular, regulators are increasingly focused on:
- Contextual risk rather than activity type alone;
- Cumulative and worst‑case scenarios;
- Clear demonstration that SEVs are protected under realistic operating conditions.
As a result, proponents may find that early, well‑scoped assessments are still critical, even where an EA is no longer required.
The Health, Environment and Innovation Committee has recommended the Bill be passed, with Parliamentary debate expected in mid‑2026. Once enacted, the practical effect of the reforms will depend heavily on how ERA codes are drafted, applied, and enforced.
For industry, the challenge will be to take advantage of streamlined pathways without underestimating expectations around environmental performance, particularly where air and water values are concerned.
How PJRA Can Assist
PJRA works with proponents, regulators, and approval authorities to navigate regulatory change and understand how risk‑based frameworks apply in practice. We support clients by:
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Interpreting new ERA classifications and codes;
- Assessing air and water risks in the context of SEVs;
- Designing proportionate, defensible assessment strategies; and
- Supporting approval, compliance, and operational certainty.
As Queensland’s regulatory landscape continues to evolve, early understanding of where efficiency ends, and environmental protection intensifies, will be critical.