Project approvals

An approval was granted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Action 1999 (EPBC Act) for the Mordialloc Freeway in August 2019. The compliance documents contained in the EPBC approval are published below.

Environment Effects Statement

In 2017, we referred the project to the Victorian Minister for Planning under the Environment Effects Act (1978) who announced that an Environment Effects Statement (EES) would be carried out for the Freeway.

The project was also referred to the Federal Minster for Environment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), who determined that further detailed assessment on matters of national environmental significance was required.

We completed all the assessments required for the project under a bilateral agreement between the State and Federal Governments.

Full report

Public hearings

As part of the EES, we engaged consultants to complete 13 key studies to address the EES scoping requirements. The community was invited to review and comment on our EES documents from 26 October to 14 December 2018.

As part of the EES process, an independent Inquiry and Advisory Committee (IAC) was appointed to consider our EES documents, draft planning scheme amendment, public submissions and evidence from expert witnesses. The IAC that oversaw the Public Hearings prepared a report with its recommendations for consideration by the Minister for Planning.

View the Independent Inquiry and Advisory Committee report (PDF, 6.37MB)

Minister’s assessment

In June 2019, the Minister for Planning released the IAC report and his assessment of the Mordialloc Freeway EES, concluding the process for the project.

The Minister’s assessment is that the project can be built and operated with acceptable environmental effects.

View the Minister for Planning’s assessment (PDF, 1.42MB)

Other approvals

The Minister provided his assessment to relevant statutory decision makers to inform their approval decisions on the project.

From July to September 2019, we also received approval of our:

• Cultural Heritage Management Plan, which assesses the potential impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and how that heritage can be best protected.
• Assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
• Planning Scheme Amendment (PSA), which establishes a framework to manage environmental effects associated with the project through an Incorporated Document. The draft PSA was exhibited during the EES process.
• Environmental Management Framework, which provides a framework to manage environmental effects associated with the project.

View the Environmental Management Framework (PDF, 1.9 MB)

Environmental performance requirements

The Environmental Management Framework includes Environmental Performance Requirements (EPRs). The EPRs set the standards for the project and were put in place to mitigate any averse local effects of the project on people and environment.

Environmental Management Plans required by the EPRs were prepared by the McConnell Dowell Decmil Joint Venture (the Contractor) and approved by the project Independent Reviewer and Environmental Auditor (IREA). The IREA also conducted audits throughout construction to ensure the Contractor followed the EMPs.

Environmental audits

The Mordialloc Freeway’s Independent Reviewer and Environmental Auditor carried out regular environmental audits. Quarterly reports are published below.

Traffic validation report

More information

You can view the EES public submissions on the Mordialloc Bypass page of the Planning Panels Victoria website.

For further information on the EES, see the Mordialloc Bypass page of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning website.

^{Note: the Mordialloc Freeway is referred to as the Mordialloc Bypass in earlier planning documents.}