QLD Compliance Context — QHR, WildNet & SARA

This article explains the key Queensland government registers and legislative obligations relevant to ecological and heritage consultants, and how TerraSitu is configured to support compliance.

QHR — Queensland Heritage Register

What it is: The Queensland Heritage Register (QHR) is maintained by the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) and lists places of cultural heritage significance to Queensland under the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It covers built heritage, historical sites, and cultural landscapes across the state.

When it's relevant: Carrying out prohibited development work on or near a Queensland Heritage Register place requires approval from the Queensland Heritage Council. Heritage surveys near QHR-listed places form part of the assessment process.

How TerraSitu helps: The QHR reference layer is available under Settings → Reference Layers and displays listed places and their curtilages. Proximity alerts are triggered when observations are recorded within a configurable buffer of a registered place. Report templates include a QHR places table for surveys in heritage-sensitive areas.

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage — Queensland

Legislative basis: The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) protects Aboriginal cultural heritage in Queensland. It imposes a general duty of care on all persons who carry out activities that may harm Aboriginal cultural heritage. Surveys are typically conducted in consultation with native title holders or Aboriginal parties identified through the Cultural Heritage Duty of Care Guidelines.

When surveys are required: Activities with a moderate or higher risk of harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage require a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) or, for lower-risk activities, satisfaction of the Duty of Care guidelines through a Cultural Heritage Study (CHS).

How TerraSitu helps: Cultural heritage observation forms include QLD-specific fields for site type, condition, significance, and consultee details. The Cultural Heritage Register reference layer shows registered places. Export via Reports → Export → DESI CSV produces a register compatible with the Queensland cultural heritage submission format.

SARA — State Assessment and Referral Agency

What it is: SARA is the Queensland government's assessment manager for development applications that require State assessment. Ecological surveys and heritage assessments frequently feed into SARA processes — for example, when a development triggers triggers under the Planning Act 2016 for impacts on matters of State environmental significance (MSES) or matters of local environmental significance (MLES).

When it's relevant: Projects that involve development approvals under Queensland's Planning Act 2016 may require ecological survey reports to be submitted through SARA. Survey data and reports produced in TerraSitu can be exported and included in SARA submissions.

How TerraSitu helps: Report templates include a State Assessment section summarising survey findings against MSES thresholds. GIS export formats (GeoJSON, Shapefile) from TerraSitu are compatible with SARA's spatial data submission requirements.

WildNet — Nature Conservation Act 1992

What it is: WildNet is DESI's biodiversity database for Queensland. It stores validated flora and fauna survey records and is the primary source of species occurrence data for ecological assessments and biodiversity planning in Queensland.

Legislative basis: The Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld) governs the protection of Queensland's native wildlife and its habitats. Threatened species and their habitats are listed under the Act and protected from harm.

What WildNet requires for valid submissions: Records must include species name (as per the Queensland flora and fauna lists), survey method and effort, coordinates accurate to the method used, survey date, and observer credentials. Supplementary data such as photos and habitat descriptions improve submission quality.

How TerraSitu helps: QLD ecology form templates include WildNet submission fields. The species autocomplete includes Queensland Conservation Status listings (Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Special Least Concern under the NCA). Conservation status alerts fire at the time of observation capture. Export via Reports → Export → WildNet CSV generates a file mapped to the WildNet upload template, including all required fields and optional supplementary columns.

EPBC Act (Commonwealth)

Queensland surveys are subject to Commonwealth EPBC Act obligations for matters of national environmental significance. Species listed under the EPBC Act are flagged in TerraSitu's species database, and an EPBC threatened species table is automatically included in ecology reports. See VIC Compliance Context for a general description of EPBC obligations.

Enabling QLD Reference Layers

1. Open the project and go to the Map tab
2. Click Layers → Reference Layers
3. Enable: Queensland Heritage Register, Queensland Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register, WildNet Threatened Species Habitats, Biodiversity Areas, and Regional Ecosystem mapping where relevant
4. Set QLD layers as project defaults under Settings → Reference Layers → QLD Defaults