Environmental auditing in Victoria
The Environmental Audit System has operated in Victoria since 1989 and led a national movement for auditing environmental performance and the condition of the environment.
The Environment Protection Act 1970 provides for the statutory appointment of environmental auditors and their responsibilities to ensure that high quality, rigorous environmental audits are conducted by appropriately qualified professionals.
Appointed environmental auditors may be engaged by any individual or organisation from private or public sectors, to provide independent, objective environmental advice.
The Environmental Audit System currently has three well-established applications that cover contaminated land, industrial facilities and natural resources.
The most extensive use of the system to date has been by planning authorities, government agencies and the private sector to provide assurance that potentially contaminated land is suitable for its intended use, or to advise what is required to make the land suitable for its intended use.
EPA in recent years has been employing the Audit System is to assess the risk of any possible harm or detriment to a segment of the environment caused by the setting-up and/or operation of industrial facilities (e.g., a landfill, a petrochemical complex, etc.), These audits tend to be for highly complex sites, which EPA beleive is, or is likely to be, polluting or potential in risk to the surrounding environment and to recommend adequate measures to reduce the identified risks when necessary.
Managing the system
EPA administers the Environmental Audit System and maintains its ongoing integrity through:
- a rigorous process to appoint auditors
- a statutory basis that requires the appropriate conduct of auditors, with suspension or revocation of appointment if breached
- significant financial and custodial penalties for the provision of false or misleading information
- requiring environmental auditors to undertake audits only within their field of expertise and that of their expert support team, and
- regular review of the work of appointed auditors.
Contributing to the system
EPA has developed guidelines for the appointment of environmental auditors and the conduct of audits.
As the Audit System continues to evolve, existing guidelines are updated and/or new guidelines are developed.
EPA welcomes input from stakeholders, such as industry, government agencies, resource managers and the community, on possible applications of the Audit System.
Contact us for more information on Victoria's Environmental Audit System.