Follow the money · Sourcing protocol
What a site does to the nature around it, and who pays.
For every facility, PLOT asks the same 14 questions: what's there, what it's allowed to do, what it releases, what it owes, and what public records show. Written down before looking, like the place questions.
In 30 seconds
Four promises about how we look
Same questions for every site
Whoever runs it and whatever it is, PLOT asks the same 14 questions, written down before looking.
Registers before reports
Regulators' and planning records come first. What a company says about itself is shown as that, never as independent checking.
Money kept apart
Announced, committed, paid and set aside are different things, and never added up into one number.
A right of reply first
Before any account of a site is published, its operator is offered 15 business days to correct or respond.
How it works
From a question to a claim
Every claim on a PLOT page went through these steps. You can follow any claim back through them with “How we found this”.
Where we look
7 channels
A channel is a kind of place to look. Each question names the channels it uses and the order to try them in.
The order is a search plan, not a ranking of truth: a source found later can still be the better one.
Structured datasets
Government, regulator and science datasets with an API, download or map service.
Usually looked at first, because they come with methods, dates and boundaries.
Used in 5 questions · first in 3
Official documents
Council and agency strategies, state of environment reports, annual reports, budgets, minutes.
Shown as what the public body reports, not as an independent measurement.
Used in 9 questions · first in 2
The questions
14 questions we ask about every facility
Grouped into four themes. Each says where to look, in what order, when to stop and when the answer goes out of date.
14 of 14 questions shown
F01 · What and where
What is this facility, exactly where is it, and who operates it?
What and where
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Structured datasets
- 3Official documents
- 4Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when its location comes from a regulator or planning record, its operator is named in a regulator record or the operator's own filing, and a person has confirmed which PLOT place it sits in.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
F02 · What and where
What stage is it at (proposed, approved, built, operating, closing, closed or being cleaned up) and since when?
Stage of life
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Official documents
- 3Company reports
- 4Leads (news, web)
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the current stage is dated from a regulator, planning or company filing. News can point to it but is never the evidence.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
F03 · Permissions and promises
What permissions does it hold, under which laws, and with what conditions?
Permissions and conditions
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the federal environment register, the state environment regulator's permissions register and the council's planning records have been searched for the operator and address. Each permission is recorded with who issued it, when, and its conditions where public.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
F04 · What and where
What habitats, species and protected areas are on the site or next to it?
Nature on and around the site
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Worked out by code from PLOT's map layers and the place records the site sits in or beside, within a stated distance. No new search.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Halt extinctions and recover species (global biodiversity target 4)
- Sensitive
- Locations of sensitive species are never shown, only that one is recorded nearby.
F05 · Impact on nature
Has native vegetation been cleared or habitat changed for this facility, and how much?
Clearing and land change
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Structured datasets
- 3Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the federal referral and the state's native vegetation records have been checked, and change on the site has been worked out from land-cover data where the site's outline is known. Losses are shown before any gains.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Restore degraded ecosystems (global biodiversity target 2)
F06 · Impact on nature
What does it release to air, water and land?
What it releases
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Regulatory records
- 3Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the national pollutant and greenhouse registers have been searched for this facility, and its licence performance statements checked if it holds a licence. Site figures are never mixed with company totals.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Reduce pollution (global biodiversity target 7)
F07 · Impact on nature
How much water and energy does it use, and where does it come from?
Water and energy use
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Company reports
- 3Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when greenhouse and energy register data and any figures the operator gives for this site have been found. If only company totals exist, that's recorded; PLOT never divides a total across sites.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Keep nature's benefits to people, like clean water (global biodiversity target 11)
- Reduce pollution (global biodiversity target 7)
F08 · Impact on nature
Is the land or groundwater contaminated, and who has to clean it up?
Contamination and clean-up
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Official documents
- 3Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the state's contaminated-site registers (priority sites, environmental audits and audit overlays) have been checked for the site.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Reduce pollution (global biodiversity target 7)
F09 · Follow the money
What offset obligations, credits or restoration payments are tied to this facility?
Offsets and credits
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when federal approval conditions and the state offset and credit registers have been checked. What was required, what was bought, what was delivered and any measured result on the ground are kept apart.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Businesses assess and disclose their impacts (global biodiversity target 15)
- More money for biodiversity (global biodiversity target 19)
F10 · Follow the money
Has a regulator or court found a breach here, or taken action?
Breaches and enforcement
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Official documents
- 3Leads (news, web)
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when environment-regulator and federal compliance records, and court decisions, have been checked for the operator and site over the last 10 years. Allegations, findings and penalties are kept apart.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
- Reduce pollution (global biodiversity target 7)
- Sensitive
- Organisations only. Individual employees are never named.
F11 · Follow the money
What has the operator set aside or guaranteed for rehabilitation, clean-up or closure of this site?
Money set aside for damage and closure
- Look, in order
- 1Company reports
- 2Regulatory records
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the operator's latest audited financial statements have been searched for provisions and contingent liabilities naming this site, and any regulator-held bond has been checked. If the company only gives a group total, that's recorded as 'not split by site'.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Businesses assess and disclose their impacts (global biodiversity target 15)
F12 · Follow the money
What public money goes to this facility: grants, contracts or concessions?
Public money to this site
- Look, in order
- 1Official documents
- 2Regulatory records
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when federal and state grant and tender registers have been searched by the operator's ABN for the last 5 years. Awarded and paid are kept apart.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Find and reform subsidies and incentives that harm nature (global biodiversity target 18)
- More money for biodiversity (global biodiversity target 19)
F13 · Permissions and promises
What have the community, local groups and Traditional Owner organisations said about this facility?
Community and Traditional Owner views
- Look, in order
- 1Official documents
- 2Practitioners and community
- 3First Nations organisations
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when planning decisions and tribunal decisions have been checked. Traditional Owner views appear only from their own published statements.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Fair participation, including Indigenous peoples (global biodiversity target 22)
- Sensitive
- Private individuals who objected are never named.
F14 · Permissions and promises
What has the operator promised for this site, and do public records show it happened?
What it promised, and what records show
- Look, in order
- 1Company reports
- 2Regulatory records
- 3Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when every dated promise naming this site has been recorded, each placed next to a matching register record or marked 'no matching record found'. Never scored.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Businesses assess and disclose their impacts (global biodiversity target 15)
Money
Money is never one number
Every amount says what kind of money it is and how well it was checked. Kinds are never added together, netted against each other, or drawn on one chart without labels. A company total is never divided across its sites.
Kinds of money, kept apart
- Announced
- A company or government said it will spend this. Nothing has moved yet.
- Committed
- Contracted, approved or set aside, e.g. a grant awarded or a contract signed.
- Paid
- Money actually moved, shown in a ledger, acquittal or audited statement.
- Set aside for future costs
- An accounting estimate of a future cost, such as rehabilitation. It can change, and it isn't money spent.
- Held as a guarantee
- A bond or guarantee held by a regulator in case the operator doesn't pay. Not spent unless called on.
- Penalty
- A fine or court-ordered payment. Imposed and paid are separate records: an imposed penalty isn't money paid.
- Credits bought or retired
- Offset or carbon credits. Buying a credit is a transaction, not proof that nature recovered.
- Political donation
- As disclosed to the electoral commission. Recorded as fact; PLOT never infers motive or effect. Not yet collected: donations and lobbying are deferred to the next version of these protocols.
When we stop
Look in order, stop on purpose
Who does what
AI drafts. People decide.
- Pin down the place: code
- Pull the datasets: code
- Search: code and AI
- Read and extract: AI and code
- A person checks: a person
- Local and Traditional Owner knowledge: a person
- Fill gaps on the ground: a person
Before anything is published
Four rules before an account goes public
Right of reply
Before the first account of a company or facility is published, the company gets a written offer to correct facts or respond, with 15 business days to do it. The offer, its date and the response (or 'no response') stay on the record. If PLOT's owner ever publishes sooner, the reason is recorded too.
A person checks
A person checks every claim against its source before it's published, as for places.
No scores
No ranking, rating or score of any company or facility, and no total across kinds of money. Records sit side by side.
Conflicts declared(stated, not yet enforced)
Anyone with a financial or employment link to the company says so and doesn't review its claims. Stated now; enforced once PLOT has reviewers besides its owner.
Starting sources
Where PLOT looks first
The main sources PLOT checks first for a facility. Claims can also come from other records, each linked on the claim it supports.
Today: 24 sources: 15 government agencies, 4 statutory bodies, 1 tribunal, 1 research or independent, 1 independent body, 2 company publications. Most are still candidates: PLOT knows they exist, but hasn't yet confirmed access, licence and coverage for each.
Showing 24 of 24.
Candidate: PLOT knows of it; access, licence and coverage not yet confirmed · Checked: access, licence and coverage confirmed by a person · Connected: PLOT pulls from it automatically
- ABN Lookup (on abr.business.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Australian Business Register
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Area-based ACCU Scheme project mapping (on data.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Clean Energy Regulator
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- ACCU Scheme project and contract register (on cer.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Clean Energy Regulator
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Atlas of Living Australia occurrence and species APIs link not yet recordedAtlas of Living Australia
- Type
- Research or independent
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- per-dataset (record-level licences vary)
- AusTender (federal contracts) (on tenders.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Australian Government Department of Finance
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Company annual reports and audited financial statements link not yet recordedThe company (audited by its external auditor)
- Type
- Company
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Voluntary sustainability, TNFD, GRI and CDP reports link not yet recordedThe company
- Type
- Company
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Council planning permit records and decisions link not yet recordedLocal councils
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Court and tribunal decisions (e.g. AustLII) link not yet recordedCourts; AustLII
- Type
- Independent body
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPA Victoria licence locations (polygons and points) (on metashare.maps.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026EPA Victoria
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Checked
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 (metadata record; signed off by the owner 22 Oct 2026)
- EPA Victoria permission information and performance statements (formerly annual performance statements) (on epa.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026EPA Victoria
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPA Victoria public registers (permissions, performance reports, compliance and enforcement, audits) (on epa.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026EPA Victoria
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPBC Act Public Portal (referrals, notices, decisions) (on epbcpublicportal.environment.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Australian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPBC public comments and decisions (on nationalepa.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026National EPA (Australian Government)
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- GrantConnect (federal grants awarded) (on grants.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Australian Government Department of Finance
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) published data (on cer.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Clean Energy Regulator
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- National Pollutant Inventory (on data.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Australian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Nature Repair Market register (on cer.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Clean Energy Regulator
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Map layers in PLOT's current map release (reserves, protected areas, modelled native vegetation) link not yet recordedDEECA and DCCEEW, as published in PLOT's map releases
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Connected
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Restoration Contributions Holder public register (restoration actions funded) link not yet recordedRestoration Contributions Holder (statutory office)
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal planning decisions (on vcat.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026VCAT
- Type
- Tribunal
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Native Vegetation Credit Register (offsets for native vegetation removal) (on nvcr.deeca.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Victoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Victoria Unearthed (priority sites, audits, audit overlay, landfills) (on environment.vic.gov.au)link checked 22 Oct 2026Victoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Victorian Biodiversity Atlas link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Published versions seen under CC BY-NC 4.0 — commercial redistribution needs review
Honest limits
What this version can't do yet
- Every question and its wording is a draft, written with AI help and not yet reviewed by anyone outside PLOT.
- Victoria first: state registers elsewhere are added as they're checked. A site with no EPA licence, such as a data centre, has to be located from planning records.
- Company reports are copyright. PLOT quotes briefly with the page, and links the original.
- The register of restoration contributions created by the 2025 EPBC reforms isn't published yet.
- Cost estimates are guesses until several facilities have been run.
Change it
Think we're looking in the wrong place?
Suggest a source (coming)
A dataset, report or group we should be looking at.
Challenge a decision (coming)
Something left out that should be in, or the reverse.
Challenge a rule (coming)
A question, an order or a stopping rule you'd change.
Cite and reuse
Use this protocol
Cite as: PLOT sourcing protocol facility-core@0.1.0 (draft; content ecc3fa2ddc03), as of 2026-10-21
Content hash (SHA-256): ecc3fa2ddc03314399691692177d7d02aba4ac645cb79964d1b5ec8ffd6a4778