Sea Dumping Permit Consultation

About this Consultation

The Port of Townsville is seeking stakeholder and community feedback on an application for a new sea dumping permit.

The Port’s current sea dumping permit expires in December 2026 and cannot be extended further. A new permit is required to allow the continued placement of maintenance dredged material at the existing Dredge Material Placement Area (DMPA) in Cleveland Bay, supporting safe and efficient port operations.

The Port is committed to listening to community views and ensuring concerns are understood and considered as part of the permit application process.

This webpage provides information about the application and outlines how you can participate in the consultation.

How You Can Participate

The Port is providing several ways for stakeholders and community members to access information, ask questions and provide feedback as part of the consultation process.

Access Information

Information supporting this consultation is available on this website, including:

• explanations of maintenance dredging and sea placement,
• details about the proposed Sea Dumping Permit application, 
• access to relevant studies, monitoring summaries and management plans, and
• how dredging and sea placement activities are managed by the Port.

Information Sessions

The Port will host four in-person information sessions to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to hear from Port staff and ask questions directly. Each session will include a short presentation followed by open discussion.

Stakeholders are encouraged to review the information pack before attending a session.

Attendance is by registration via TryBooking.  Places are limited due to venue capacity.

Provide Feedback

Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the sea dumping permit application during the formal consultation period.

• Feedback can be submitted via the online feedback form available below.
• The consultation period will be open for 4 weeks from Wednesday, 29 July 2026 and close on Tuesday, 25 August 2026.

All feedback will be de-identified to protect privacy.

Have your say - feedback form

If you experience any issues accessing the online form, you may download the form, complete and email it to dredging@townsvilleport.com.au

Next Steps

Feedback received during the consultation period will be reviewed, summarised, and considered as part of the sea dumping permit application, to be lodged later this year.

Consultation outcomes will be provided to the regulator as part of the permit application and a summary published on the Port’s website.

This webpage is intended to support stakeholder understanding and engagement. It does not replace the formal sea dumping permit application or its supporting technical documentation, which will be assessed by the regulator as part of the approval process.