The purpose of this guideline is to communicate how the factor Social Surroundings is considered by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process.

Specifically, the guideline:

• defines the factor Social Surroundings and explains the associated objective
• describes EIA considerations for this factor
• describes issues commonly encountered by the EPA during EIA of this factor
• identifies activities that can impact social surroundings
• provides a summary of the type of information required by the EPA to undertake EIA related to this factor.

Update: Adjustments have been made to the EPA’s (June 2023) EFG-Social Surroundings and related Technical Guidance to account for the repeal of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (ACH Act) and the restoration and amendment of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (AH Act).