SSRC Act Social Impact Assessment
What is a social impact assessment?
The Coordinator-General requires a social impact assessment (SIA) for all projects subject to an environmental impact statement (EIS) process under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) or the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act).
An SIA guideline (PDF, 741KB) has been prepared to provide information on details that must be included in an SIA. The guideline covers the identification and assessment of potential social impacts, as well as their management and monitoring.
What triggers the social impact assessment?
The SIA guideline is a statutory instrument for resource projects and has been made by the Coordinator-General in accordance with section 9(4) of the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act 2017 (SSRC Act). Where an SIA is submitted as part of the EIS process, this will inform the Coordinator-General’s determination on whether the project is suitable to proceed. This decision happens after the EIS process is complete and the EIS assessment reports have been issued.
The SIA guideline is a non-statutory instrument for non-resource projects subject to an EIS process under the EP Act or SDPWO Act.
Where can I find more details about the social impact assessment?
Proponents wishing to obtain advice about whether their project is a resource project triggering the SSRC Act should contact the Office of the Coordinator-General.