In a decision with important ramifications for procurement, South Australia's Supreme Court has ruled that a council wasn't responsible for checking that its contractors held the correct environmental licences and approvals.
In a year of huge regulatory change for environmental managers, the Federal Government has started the process of handing core environmental responsibilities to states and abolishing carbon charges for large emitters, while all governments began targeting 'green tape'.
A high-level meeting between senior state environmental bureaucrats and representatives of Australia's largest companies has discussed a range of issues that could be regulated more consistently across the nation.
The South Australian Parliament has passed a bill that prevents the EPA from tightening lead emission licence limits applying to Nyrstar's Port Pirie smelter unless either the company or the State's Minister for Manufacturing agrees.
A new plan to improve Adelaide's coastal water quality shows that soda ash company Penrice's decision to cease production at its Osborne plant was partly driven by the prospect of having to cut nitrogen discharges by more than 50%.
The South Australian EPA says compliance activities targeting Nyrstar, Adelaide Brighton, Penrice and Kimberly-Clark will be among its priorities for 2013-14.