Level of Public Consultation

The classification of the level of environmental impact of a proposed activity, determines the level of public consultation undertaken in the assessment and approval of the proposed activity.

A low impact classification : DMITRE undertakes consultation internally with Government Agencies (including the Department for Environment and Heritage, the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, the Environment Protection Authority, and if relevant Planning SA). Government consultation periods are determined through administrative arrangement between DMITRE (previously PIRSA) and the specific agency.

A medium impact classification : The Agency seeks community comment during a public consultation period, which is required to run for at least 30 business days.  This process is equivalent to the PER process under the South Australian Development Act 1993.

A high impact classification : If a project is assessed as having a high environmental impact, the proposal is referred to the Minister responsible for the Development Act 1993 for an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) under Part 8 of that Development Act.

It is important to remember that government consultation undertaken as part of the approval process does not remove the importance for proponents to undertake their own community and stakeholder consultation during project development, prior to making an application to the department.