Allocation of marine aquaculture authorities policy

The Policy for the allocation of marine aquaculture authorities (PDF, 1490KB) sets out a flexible and transparent process for allocating marine aquaculture authorities, including a 'pre-assessment' process for aquaculture approval applications in Queensland.

In the past, aquaculture applications had only been considered on a non-competitive, 'first come, first serve' basis. This policy provides a formal, but flexible, process for managing applications using a combination of non-competitive and competitive processes.

In areas where no aquaculture plans are in place, the allocation process is non-competitive, with applications assessed on a 'first come, first served' basis.

However, in areas where there has been considerable government investment in regional planning, there is increased value to applicants arising from pre-determination and upfront assessment of sites. In these areas, the allocation process is competitive and involves an expression-of-interest process. The merit of each application will be evaluated by a panel using allocation criteria. The application that best meets the allocation criteria will need to submit a standard application for approval.

Please note: The only marine aquaculture plan in place is the Great Sandy regional marine aquaculture plan. Currently, there are no expressions of interest open; however, individual applications may be considered if they meet the required standards.

If an expression of interest only generates a single application, or it is not necessary to manage competing bids through an expression-of-interest process, a Fisheries Queensland delegate will assess the application rather than a panel. If the application addresses the minimum mandatory criteria, it will proceed to the resource allocation authority assessment stage.