Environment Protection Authority South Australia

What Environment Protection Authority South Australia does

The Environment Protection Authority South Australia (EPA SA) is a statutory authority of the Government of South Australia, established in 1995 under the Environment Protection Act 1993, charged with protecting, restoring and enhancing the state's environment. It is the sole environmental regulator for South Australia and operates with a headcount of 101-250 staff based in Adelaide. Its functional mandate covers air quality, water quality, groundwater, site contamination, waste, noise, radiation and climate change, delivered through licensing, monitoring, enforcement and community engagement.

EPA SA's core 'products' are regulatory and informational rather than commercial. The agency issues environmental authorisations and licences to industrial, commercial, agricultural and radiation users, runs the online WasteTracker waste documentation system, publishes the searchable Public Register of licences, authorisations, orders and Section 7 property interests, and operates a network of air quality monitoring stations across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia. It also delivers the South Australian Container Deposit Scheme (663+ million containers recycled in 2023-24, 75% return rate, >A$66m returned to the community), compiles the National Pollutant Inventory for SA (493 reporting facilities in 2022-23), and produces the five-yearly State of the Environment Report (most recently 2023).

The business model is regulatory rather than commercial: EPA SA is funded by South Australian Government appropriations, licence fees from regulated businesses under a published Licence Fee System, and waste levy receipts. There is no software-as-a-service product, no app, no disclosed API and no commercial pricing model. Goto-market is effectively the public register and a 24/7 pollution reporting hotline (8204 2004 / 1800 623 445), with stakeholder engagement delivered through a monthly EPA Monitor newsletter, LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram channels, the Engage EPA consultation platform, the YourSAy SA Government portal and in-person community sessions. The agency is governed by an independent Board (Presiding Member: Catherine Cooper) and led by Chief Executive Jon Gorvett.

Name

Environment Protection Authority South Australia

Legal name

Environment Protection Authority South Australia

Website

https://epa.sa.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

EPA South Australia is a state statutory authority that regulates environmental protection across South Australia, licensing industrial activities, monitoring air and water quality, managing site contamination, administering the Container Deposit Scheme, and enforcing environmental law via inspections and prosecutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Protection Agencies & Environmental Health Departments (HLAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pollution Control & Environmental Compliance Enforcement (BPAIAMAB), State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL), Drinking Water Quality & Safe Water Regulatory Authorities (HLAJAFAD), Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Agencies (BPAIAOAM)

Keywords

• Environmental regulation
• Waste management regulation
• Radiation safety licensing
• Air quality monitoring
• Site contamination assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Environment Protection Authority South Australia is an independent statutory authority that regulates environmental protection across South Australia under the Environment Protection Act 1993. It issues environmental authorisations and licences to industrial, commercial, mining, waste, and radiation activities; operates monitoring networks for air, groundwater, and water quality; investigates pollution incidents and noise nuisance; manages site contamination assessments and Groundwater Prohibition Areas; administers the Container Deposit Scheme; and publishes the State of the Environment Report. The authority also enforces compliance through civil penalties, prosecutions, and licence conditions.

Product overview

The Environment Protection Authority South Australia (EPA SA) is a government regulatory agency that does not offer a unified software product in the traditional sense. Instead, it provides a portfolio of environmental management services and programs including pollution reporting and incident management, licensing for industrial activities, waste tracking (WasteTracker), air and water quality monitoring, site contamination assessment, radiation licensing, and the Container Deposit Scheme. These services are delivered through a combination of online portals, regulatory frameworks, and public registers rather than a single platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Authorisations and Licensing
• WasteTracker Online Waste Tracking System Online waste tracking system enabling waste producers, transporters, and receiving facilities to document and track the transport of waste in South Australia, supporting compliance with waste levy and transport obligations.
• Public Register Searchable online register providing public access to environmental authorisations, licences, site contamination index, radiation licences, new applications, orders, and property interests (Section 7) under South Australian environmental legislation.
• Air Quality Monitoring Network Network of air quality monitoring stations across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia providing continuous air quality data, including campaigns at Birkenhead, Peterhead, and Sellicks Beach.
• Groundwater Monitoring and Assessment Program Program of guidelines and bore networks for groundwater quality monitoring of regulated activities, including bore network design, sampling, baseline quality establishment, and assessment criteria. Supports the establishment of Groundwater Prohibition Areas to protect public health.
• Container Deposit Scheme South Australia's container deposit scheme, first introduced in 1977, allowing consumers to return eligible beverage containers for a 10-cent refund. In 2023-24 the scheme returned 663+ million containers and paid out $66+ million in refunds at a 75% return rate.
• Site Contamination Assessment and Audit System Regulatory service for the assessment and remediation of contaminated sites, including audit accreditation, assessment areas, certified practitioner selection, and the site contamination index. Supports the protection of human health and the environment from legacy industrial contamination.
• Radiation Licensing and Regulation Licensing and regulation of radiation sources, apparatus, and radioactive materials under the Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021, including guidance documents, codes of compliance, radiation management plans, and incident reporting. Covers medical, industrial, scientific, and mining uses.
• National Pollutant Inventory (SA) Online pollutant emissions inventory for South Australia tracking emissions from industrial, commercial, transport, and household activities. In 2022-23, 493 South Australian facilities submitted NPI data out of 4,691 total Australian facilities.
• Pollution and Incident Reporting Service 24/7 pollution and emergency incident reporting service via a hotline (8204 2004 and 1800 623 445 for country callers), enabling first response to environmental harm, including a separate Algal Bloom Hotline (1800 774 779).
• State of the Environment Report 5-yearly state of the environment reporting, with the State of the Environment Report 2023 launched on 29 February 2024 making recommendations to safeguard South Australia's environment with focus on climate change and biodiversity losses.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Australasian Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists (AANMS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2024EPA Radiation Protection Officers attended AANMS training in Brisbane on theranostics in nuclear medicine. AANMS oversees recognition of experience in theranostics for nuclear medicine specialists through its Theranostics Committee.
• LGA South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2024Partnership agreement renewed through 2026 between LGA South Australia and EPA SA to work collaboratively on environmental protection. Focus areas include Container Deposit Scheme coordination, climate adaptation policy, and regulatory practice improvement. Both organisations hold each other accountable through open communication and meaningful engagement.
• Department for Environment and Water (DEW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDEW is responsible for preparing South Australia's environmental trend and condition report cards which form part of the 5-yearly State of the Environment Report. EPA coordinates with DEW on biodiversity science, water resources, and environmental monitoring.
• Department for Energy and MiningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA provided support to Department for Energy and Mining to investigate mangrove dieback at Dry Creek saltfield. EPA's scientific monitoring was published on the DEM website.
• Kangaroo Island Landscape BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite selection consultation for Aquatic Ecosystem Condition Reports conducted with Kangaroo Island Landscape Board, Green Adelaide, and Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board.
• Green AdelaideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in selection of monitoring sites for aquatic ecosystem condition reporting in metropolitan Adelaide areas.
• Hills and Fleurieu Landscape BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in site selection for aquatic ecosystem condition monitoring in the Mount Lofty Ranges region.
• Dairy SAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA participated in Dairy SA organised workshops in Hahndorf and Lower South East to assist farmers with dairy farm effluent management and environmental obligations. Sessions held in collaboration with Agriculture Victoria.
• Agriculture VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-jurisdictional collaboration with EPA SA on dairy farm effluent management workshops held in South Australia, sharing best practices and regulatory approaches.
• Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational counterpart for radiation protection and nuclear safety. Referenced as a key stakeholder and information resource for radiation regulatory matters under the Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021.
• Government of South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA is an independent statutory authority of the Government of South Australia, operating under the Environment Protection Act 1993 and reporting to the Minister for Environment. The organisation is governed by an independent Board appointed by the government.
• Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators neTwork (AELERT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA is hosting AELERT for the next three years, bringing opportunities for greater collaboration and innovation with regulatory peers in other Australian jurisdictions. EPA staff attend AELERT workshops on regulatory capture and risk communications.
• B-cycleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB-cycle is South Australia's dedicated battery collection program for recycling batteries correctly. EPA refers the public to B-cycle collection sites as the safe disposal pathway for batteries to prevent fires in waste facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Environment Protection Authority Victoria: Victorian state environmental regulator with overlapping functions including licensing, pollution response, and waste regulation. Notable overlap as EPA SA's former CEO departed to lead Recycling Victoria, a related Victorian agency.
• NSW Environment Protection Authority: Statutory environmental regulator for New South Wales with a comparable mandate covering licensing, pollution prevention, waste, and contaminated sites. Most analogous peer given similar scale and regulatory architecture under parallel state legislation.
• Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (ACT): ACT's environmental regulator with comparable functions including licensing, pollution response, and contaminated sites management under ACT legislation. Direct peer in small-jurisdiction model.
• Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA): Western Australia's environmental regulator combining water resource and pollution control functions. Comparable state-level environmental regulator with licensing and compliance mandate.
• Tasmania Environment Protection Authority: Statutory environmental regulator for Tasmania with a similar scope covering pollution control, contaminated sites, and waste management under its own EP Act framework. Comparable in smaller-jurisdiction operating model.
• Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority: Statutory environmental regulator for the Northern Territory. Smaller jurisdiction analogue with parallel functions in environmental impact assessment, contaminated sites, and pollution control.

Others

• Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA): National radiation protection agency that serves as EPA SA's federal counterpart on radiation matters under the Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021. Adjacent enabling regulator rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (Queensland): Queensland's lead agency for environmental regulation including pollution management, contaminated land, and waste. Larger jurisdiction with broader portfolio than EPA SA but overlapping environmental functions.
• Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW): Australian Government department responsible for national environmental policy, including climate change, and a key counterpart to state EPAs. EPA SA coordinates with DCCEEW on national frameworks like the National Pollutant Inventory.

Regional players

• Recycling Victoria: Victorian statutory authority responsible for waste and resource recovery. Operates in a different state but shares the circular economy and waste regulatory remit with EPA SA; notably led by EPA SA's former CEO Tony Circelli.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SAEnvironmentProtectionAuthority
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southaust-epa
• Instagraminstagram.com/sa_epa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environment Protection Authority South Australia