The Queensland government has updated its environmental laws by including provisions that provide early certainty on clearly unacceptable projects, greater public consultation, and increased accountability for directors and officers of companies that cause environmental harm.
'Perfect' fruit and vegetable standards would be banned, food miles labels introduced in supermarkets, and sustainable living classes added to school curriculums, under an ambitious policy announcement by the NSW Greens.
Water pollution fines levied on a large Sydney developer have been halved after an appeal court found the company’s failure to properly implement soil erosion and sediment controls at a construction site was not motivated by money.
Sydney Water has been fined $200,000 in a sentencing hearing after being found guilty of a serious pollution incident in 2019 when its actions caused untreated sewage to overflow into a nearby creek.
In an important case considering the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s powers to issue stay orders under the state’s revised Environment Protection Act, big global meat products company Van Hessen has been denied a stay of a prohibition notice that will potentially cost it up to $200,000 per week and result in the loss of 30 full time jobs.
A service station operator has been fined a total of $320,000 for its wilful and ongoing failure to comply with an EPA notice, with a large part of the fine comprising nearly a year of daily penalties for each day of non-compliance.