As reported in July 2025, a delegate of the Federal Minister for Environment and Water has determined that the Kin Kin Quarry’s EPBC application is a controlled action due to the significant impact on listed threatened species and ecological communities.

We have written about these impacts previously in Noosa 360 updates here and here. This determination is a positive as it requires the applicant to submit further documentation to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) for assessment, which includes public consultation. This, before a decision can be made on whether or not approval can be granted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC).

Following this, Sandy requested a meeting with representatives from DCCEEW and the federal minister’s office, which was granted and held on 26 August 2025. This, to discuss the process going forward and the issues experienced by our communities impacted by heavy haulage and how these could worsen if this application is approved under the EPBC.

DCCEEW was able to provide advice on the process they will be undertaking for the assessment under the EPBC which will be via a Public Environment Report (PER), with more information available on the department’s website here. The PER must be produced by the proponent (Cordwell Resources Pty Ltd) and the department has issued guidelines for the information that must be included.

There are no specific timelines for the production of the PER, however the department advised that their experience is that they generally take somewhere between six to eighteen months to produce.

Once it is produced and accepted by DCCEEW, it will be issued for public consultation, where submissions will be accepted for up to a six-week period. The primary focus of the PER and consultation will be on the impact on endangered species, including offsets for cleared habitat. How offsets work is set out in the department’s offset policy and offsets guide. We were also advised that direct and indirect impacts will also be considered, with an example of the latter being protected animals being killed on our roads due to heavy haulage. In addition, they also consider socio-economic impacts of the development, and proponent suitability, which can all be covered in submissions.

Sandy will continue to monitor and once consultation opens, we will update to Noosa 360 and our social medial channels. Residents can also register to receive notifications direct by visiting the EPBC Portal, registering and then searching for ‘Kin Kin’.

We would like to highlight the advocacy of our community and give thanks including to Nick Cooke and organisations such as Save Noosa Hinterland and Noosa Council.

Further information

Information on the EPBC Act can be found at www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/epbc

For our previous Noosa 360 updates regarding Kin Kin, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Kin+kin.

To contact the Federal Minister for Environment and Water, email minister.watt@dcceew.gov.au. Please copy our office in via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and Kin Kin’s Federal MP Llew Obrian via llew.obrien.mp@aph.gov.au as well forward us any responses you receive.