Companies that no longer hold mining licences could still be ordered to take rehabilitation action or provide a new bond, under a bill before the Victorian Parliament.
Victorian businesses will have to completely review their compliance strategies, after the state's Legislative Council yesterday passed a bill that introduces a new duty to minimise health and environmental risks.
The Victorian Opposition has raised concerns about two key aspects of a bill to rewrite Victoria's environment law, and has demanded a parliamentary inquiry.
Victoria's environment bill sets a new Australian benchmark and businesses need to make sure they are prepared, according to Ashurst partner Robert Jamieson.
The Victorian government has introduced a bill to replace the state's main environment Act with a new law that establishes a duty of care to minimise harm and provides for penalties of up to five years in jail.
AGL and EnergyAustralia have been granted significantly more time to rehabilitate their Latrobe Valley open-cut mines, but critics argue the licence extensions are too open-ended.
A new report on air quality by Victoria's Auditor-General says industrial air emissions data should be independently audited and warns it's not good enough to rely on companies self-reporting.
The owners of Victoria's three coal-fired power stations have jointly commissioned a study examining how they can comply with new noxious air pollution requirements.