Dear ACLCA,
We are pleased to announce the launch of the National Harmonised Auditor Accreditation Process (NHAAP). We’d appreciate your support in sharing this information with your members.
The South Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is pleased to announce the launch of the National Harmonised Auditor Accreditation Process (NHAAP), a new nationally coordinated process for the initial accreditation of site contamination auditors.
The NHAAP was endorsed by the Heads of EPA in 2024 and has been developed to provide a more consistent, transparent and efficient approach to the initial accreditation of site contamination auditors across participating jurisdictions.
What is changing?
Under the new process, suitably qualified and experienced environmental practitioners will be able to apply for accreditation as a site contamination auditor in one of four participating jurisdictions:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Western Australia
Applicants will nominate a single primary accreditation jurisdiction, which will remain responsible for making the final accreditation decision in accordance with its legislation, policies and guidance. A newly established National Accreditation Panel (NAP) will undertake the technical and professional assessment of applicants and provide independent recommendations to the relevant accreditation jurisdiction. Primary accreditation jurisdictions will assess applicants’ knowledge of legislation, policies and guidance for the relevant jurisdiction.
Please note that the NHAAP applies only to the initial accreditation of auditors. Existing site contamination auditors are not affected, and current mutual recognition arrangements between jurisdictions remain unchanged.
Call for applications
Applications for the 2026 NHAAP will be open from Tuesday 1 September to Thursday 15 October 2026.
Environmental practitioners with significant expertise in site contamination assessment, remediation and management are encouraged to review the application requirements and begin preparing their applications. Applicants must complete the application forms provided by their nominated primary accreditation jurisdiction.
ALGA webinar
The Australasian Land and Groundwater Association (ALGA) is hosting a webinar to outline the objectives of moving to a nationally coordinated process and provide an overview of the new application and assessment processes. It will include a presentation, followed by a Q&A session.
Date: Monday 17 August 2026
Time: 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm ACST
Please register online to attend.
Local information sessions
The EPA will also host an online information session for applicants that wish to nominate SA as their primary accreditation jurisdiction.
Date: Monday 24 August 2026
Time: 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm ACST
To register, please email madeleine.thomas@sa.gov.au or EPASiteContam@sa.gov.au.
For applicants that wish to nominate another primary accreditation jurisdiction, please refer to that jurisdiction for information about their local information session.
Further information
Detailed information about the NHAAP, including application requirements, participating jurisdictions, the assessment process and supporting resources, is available on the EPA website.
We encourage you to share this information with colleagues who may be interested in pursuing accreditation as a site contamination auditor.
If you have any questions, please contact Madeleine Thomas, Principal Adviser, Site Contamination (Audit), at madeleine.thomas@sa.gov.au or EPASiteContam@sa.gov.au.
Kind regards,
Site Contamination Branch
Madeleine Thomas (she/her)
Principal Adviser, Site Contamination (Audit)
Site Contamination | Sustainable Development, Policy and Systems
Environment Protection Authority