Contaminated land site auditor accreditation process

Learn about the accreditation process for applicants who wish to become accredited site auditors.

National Harmonised Auditor Accreditation Process

The National Harmonised Auditor Accreditation Process (NHAAP) was endorsed by the Heads of EPA in 2024 to provide a nationally coordinated and consistent application and assessment process for the accreditation of site auditors. 

The responsibility for planning, administering and implementing all aspects of a national accreditation round will be allocated to one jurisdiction (the host jurisdiction) on a rotational basis, with support provided by a second jurisdiction (the supporting jurisdiction). The remaining jurisdictions (participating jurisdictions) will be involved in some respects but have a minor administrative and planning role. 

The inaugural round of the NHAAP will commence in August 2026 with South Australia Environment Protection Authority (SA EPA) as the host jurisdiction and New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA), as the supporting jurisdiction, and will take approximately 8 to 12 months to complete. 

NSW EPA, Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (Qld DETSI), SA EPA and Western Australia Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA DWER) are actively participating in the 2026 NHAAP. EPA Victoria is not actively participating in the 2026 NHAAP due to the auditor accreditation round undertaken in Victoria in 2024/2025.

Suitably qualified environmental practitioners who are considering applying for auditor accreditation in the 2026 NHAAP can find an information sheet on the SA EPA website which provides further details on the accreditation process.

Interested applicants must select either NSW, SA, WA or Qld as their primary accreditation jurisdiction with successful applicants to be accredited by their nominated primary accreditation jurisdiction in accordance with jurisdiction‑specific legislation.

Eligibility criteria

Application requirements are based on Schedule B9 of the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999 and applicants are required to have extensive experience and a high level of expertise in:

• assessment of contaminant exposure pathways
• contaminated site assessment and remediation including management
• evaluation and interpretation of chemical and analytical data
• soil sampling design and methodology
• soil gas sampling design and methodology
• groundwater sampling design and methodology
• identification of potential human health and environmental risks
• quality control/quality assurance procedures; and
• risk communication.

Applicants who nominate NSW EPA as their primary accreditation jurisdiction are also expected to be able to demonstrate a good understanding of NSW and national guidelines, policies and legislation relating to contaminated land and meet the selection criteria which is set out in the application forms.

Staged accreditation process

The NHAAP is a staged process and applicants successful at one stage are invited to the next. Details of the stages of the process are provided in the SA EPA information sheet referenced above, but in summary it will comprise:

• Part A technical application – evaluated by the NAP – recommendations made to relevant primary accreditation jurisdictions on whether the applicant is technically suitable for the examination stage.
• Technical examination – minimum pass mark required to progress
• Part B legislation, policy and guidance application – evaluated by the primary accreditation jurisdictions with support from local accreditation panel
• Interview – with the NAP and representatives of the relevant primary accreditation jurisdiction – will involve a case study and questions

The final decision on whether to accredit an applicant is made by the relevant primary accreditation jurisdiction. If an applicant who has nominated NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction is successful, further administrative checks will follow and will include provision of details of expert support team members and insurance cover, followed by a briefing by the NSW EPA to discuss procedural matters.

Appeals and feedback

There is no formal appeals process under the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 for unsuccessful applicants who have selected NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction. However, unsuccessful applicants can seek feedback from the NSW EPA after completing any stage of the accreditation process.

Application forms and application fee

Applications will open on Tuesday 1 September 2026 and will close at 3pm on Thursday 15 October 2026. The Part A technical application form must be submitted to the nominated primary accreditation jurisdiction during this period and late applications will not be accepted. For applicants who have nominated NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction, information on how to submit the application to the NSW EPA is detailed on the form (link to form below).

If applicants are successful in the Part A technical application and the technical examination, they will be invited by their nominated primary accreditation jurisdiction to submit the Part B legislation, policy and guidance application form, which must be submitted within two weeks of receiving the invitation to submit. Applicants can submit the Part B application form at the same time as the Part A application form, however, the Part B application form will only be considered if an applicant is successful in the technical examination.

Applicants nominating NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction can download the Part A and Part B application forms:

• Part A NSW Site Contamination Auditor Technical Application Form (DOCX 2.1MB)
• Part B NSW Site Contamination Auditor Legislation, Guidance and Policy Application Form (DOCX 1.9MB)

Application fees must be paid to the nominated primary accreditation jurisdiction. The NSW application fees are set under section 6 of the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022. The fee is adjusted on 1 September each year, in line with movements in the Public Sector Wage Price Index. For applicants nominating NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction, the NSW application fee will be announced prior to the 1 September 2026 on this webpage. For information, the application fee for the previous year was $1337. See the 2025 adjusted amounts notice (PDF 252KB).

Accreditation fee

For successful applicants who have nominated NSW as their primary accreditation jurisdiction, and for auditors who are already accredited in NSW, an accreditation fee must be paid.

From 1 September 2025, the accreditation fee for a site auditor for a period one year or less is $9,337. See the 2025 adjusted amounts notice (PDF 252KB).

The NSW site auditor accreditation fee is set under section 7 of the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022. The fee is adjusted on 1 September each year, in line with movements in the Public Sector Wage Price Index

A site auditor may apply to the NSW EPA to waive or refund all or part of the accreditation fee in certain circumstances set under section 8 of the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022.

Mutual recognition of site auditors

Auditors registered / accredited in another State can apply to be accredited in NSW in accordance with the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth).

Applicants must complete and lodge the mutual recognition application notice (DOCX 52KB) and declaration form (DOCX 51KB) with us.

Automatic mutual recognition of site auditors accredited in other states does not currently apply in NSW.

See Automatic mutual recognition for occupational licences and registrations.