Stay up to date
The latest updates on contaminated land management in NSW.
You can stay up to date with the latest contaminated land management news and events, including:
- changes to policy and regulatory requirements
- updates to guidelines and legislation
- opportunities to have your say on public exhibitions.
October 2025 – No. 38
EPA cost recovery and site auditor fees to change
The EPA sets site auditor accreditation and application fees each year under the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022. These fees are adjusted annually on 1 September, based on changes in the Public Sector Wage Price Index.
On 1 September 2025, the fees increased to the rates listed below:
| Cost recovery fees rates | Application fee for accreditation as a site auditor | Fee for accreditation as a site auditor (for a period one year or less) |
|---|---|---|
| $113 per hour | $1337 | $9337 |
You can find more details on the EPA’s cost recovery fees, and additional information about accreditation fees.
Review of Underground Petroleum Storage Systems (UPSS) Regulation
In 2024, the EPA began a statutory review and remake of the Protection of the Environment Operations (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulation 2019 (UPSS Regulation). The UPSS Regulation specifies requirements for designing, installing, maintaining and monitoring underground petroleum storage systems in NSW. The purpose of the UPSS Regulation is to reduce the risk of harmful environmental leaks that can lead to land and groundwater contamination.
The review will ensure the UPSS Regulation reflects technological changes and industry best practice, and continues to provide fit for purpose requirements to prevent leaks.
The EPA has surveyed local councils, consulted with other government agencies and engaged with key industry bodies to identify issues and inform potential changes to the UPSS Regulation.
Public consultation on proposed changes to the UPSS Regulation is scheduled for early 2026.
Updates within the last 2 years
Changes to EPA cost recovery and site auditor fees
The EPA sets site auditor accreditation and application fees each year under the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022. These fees are adjusted annually on 1 September, based on changes in the Public Sector Wage Price Index. On 1 September 2024, the fees increased to the rates listed below:
| Cost recovery fees rates | Application fee for accreditation as a site auditor | Fee for accreditation as a site auditor (for a period one year or less) |
|---|---|---|
| $109 per hour | $1,292 | $9,023 |
Read more details on the EPA’s cost recovery fees and additional information about accreditation fees.
Managing asbestos-contaminated sites
Following stakeholder feedback, we have updated our website to offer general information on managing asbestos contaminated sites. The way EPA assesses contaminated land in NSW has not changed. Feedback from both industry and community on our position statement and the proposed changes suggested that more clarity is needed about what is allowed under the current regulatory framework for remediation projects. The EPA will continue to review this information as new data and information becomes available.
The updated website information is available at Managing asbestos in and on land.
Site Auditors exempted from Automatic Mutual Recognition.
The NSW Government has exempted contaminated land site auditor accreditation from the automatic mutual recognition (AMR) scheme for five years, until at least October 2029.
AMR is a national program that allows workers with a license or registration for certain occupations in one Australian state or territory to do the same work in another state or territory without needing to apply or pay for a new license or registration.
This exemption is meant to allow time to address differences in accreditation, as well as technical, policy and legislative requirements for contaminated land site auditors in NSW and other areas. The differences could lead to inadequate land contamination assessments and potential risks to public health and the environment. The five-year exemption provides time for states and territories to collaborate and align their accreditation processes and standards.
Find more information on the Automatic Mutual Recognition scheme (nsw.gov.au).
Contaminated land management update
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) can recover administrative costs for certain activities outlined in the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997. This amount is prescribed in the Contaminated Land Management Regulation 2022 and is adjusted each year from 2023 in line with the Public Service Wage Price Index. The new fee rates are outlined in the table below, and take effect from September 2023.
| Cost recovery fees rates | Application fee for accreditation as a site auditor | Fee for accreditation as a site auditor (for a period one year or less) |
| $104 per hour | $1234 | $8620 |
See Paying for EPA cost recovery and Contaminated land site auditor accreditation process for more information.
Sampling requirements for contaminated service station sites
The EPA has published new guidelines to help consultants, site auditors, regulators and planning authorities who undertake or review contamination assessments of service station sites.
The Contamination assessment of service station sites – Minimum sampling requirements guidelines provide guidance on the assessment process, the role of sampling within that process, and details of where samples should be collected, the minimum number to collect and why.
Consultation was undertaken to seek feedback on the draft service station guidelines in early 2023, and stakeholder feedback was incorporated into the final guidelines.
The service station guidelines are available on the EPA website at https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/contaminated-land/non-statutory-guidance-documents.
If you have any questions on the articles featured in this update, please contact [email protected] or call the Environment Line on 131 555
Review of Underground Petroleum Storage Systems (UPSS) Regulation
The EPA has begun its periodic review of the Protection of the Environment Operations (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulation 2019 (UPSS Regulation). The Regulation outlines the requirements for designing, installing, maintaining and monitoring underground petroleum storage systems in NSW. The goal of the regulation is to reduce the risk of harmful environmental leaks that can lead to land and groundwater contamination.
The aim of this review is to assess whether the regulation provides up-to-date requirements to prevent leaks and achieve effective regulatory outcomes. This will help the regulation stay aligned with industry changes.
To support the review, the EPA has surveyed local councils, consulted with other government agencies and engaged with key industry bodies to identify issues and inform potential changes to the UPSS Regulation.
The EPA plans to publicly consult on any proposed changes to the UPSS Regulation in early 2025.
Training local council officers on the UPSS Regulation
In June, the EPA held information sessions for NSW local council officers about the UPSS Regulation. The sessions aimed to strengthen the capacity of council officers responsible for managing UPSS issues in their local areas. The program was based on a similar initiative conducted by the EPA in 2019.
Training sessions were conducted in Nowra, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga and Coffs Harbour, with additional sessions held online. In total, 121 officers from 57 councils participated. The training aimed to improve local councils’ management of UPSS issues across NSW. The feedback from local councils was positive, and the EPA received excellent feedback from attendees. The online training module is available for local councils.
Request for comments - DRAFT Position statement on management of asbestos-contaminated sites
We are seeking feedback on our draft revised position statement on the management of asbestos-contaminated sites.
This position statement will replace our existing position statement on the Guidelines for the Assessment, Remediation and Management of Asbestos Contaminated Sites in Western Australia.
The existing position statement has been revised in response to comments from industry stakeholders, including contaminated land consultants and site auditors. The revised position statement better reflects industry best practice and supports the NSW Government’s commitment to moving to a circular economy.
We are seeking stakeholder feedback on the revised position statement prior to finalising it for publication.
The draft revised position statement is available on the EPA website at: Position statement — WA guidelines for asbestos contaminated sites
Please provide any comments on the attached draft document to us at [email protected]