Five former executives at Linc Energy are now facing offences that carry penalties of up to five years in jail, including a former president of the Queensland Resources Council.
The owner of a coal carrier that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef has agreed to pay $39.3 million to remediate the site, more than three years after the Federal Government started legal proceedings against it.
Australian regulators are working together to strip polluters of profits made by breaking laws and are exploring new ways to ensure companies can pay for site rehabilitation and clean-up, according to SA EPA chief Tony Circelli.
The Queensland Government says Linc Energy's move into voluntary administration, while facing serious environmental charges, underlines the need for a law that allows liability to be shifted to related companies and executives if a company is in financial difficulty.