Australia – Biodiversity – Costly repairs for council
A NSW council will have to spend $100,000 repairing environmental damage caused by unauthorised land clearing at Jerrys Plains Cemetery in the Hunter Valley. The council allowed the clearing of part of a critically endangered ecological community, protected under national environment law. Several trees were cut down, and a rip line made through a weed infestation, potentially spreading weeds and diminishing previous weed control efforts. Under a remediation determination, the council is required to manage weeds at the site and prepare a management plan outlining how the cemetery’s native vegetation will be protected. More.
Australia – Biodiversity – Rail company to repair environmental damage
An Australian rail company will have to repair environmental damage caused by unauthorised works at a Conservation Reserve in Western Victoria. The company cleared a population of the critically endangered spiny rice-flower and part of an endangered ecosystem, both of which are protected under national environmental law. There was a significant impact to one of the 20 remaining wild populations of spiny rice-flower. The enforceable undertaking requires the company to spend $207,000 on a number of activities. including rehabilitation of the affected area, developing and providing training for staff and contractors, and a study to identify matters of national environment significance along the Melbourne to Adelaide rail corridor. More.
Australia – Biodiversity – Gas company fined for vegetation clearance
In another incident involving vegetation clearing, a Queensland gas company has been fined $19,800 for unapproved clearing, as part of the construction of a pipeline in far north Queensland. Up to six kilometres of vegetation was cleared before environmental management plans were approved, in contravention of the pipeline’s approval conditions. More.
Australia – Fuel – Motorists misled over petrol type
A fuel distribution company has been fined $13,200 after misleading motorists about the types of petrol available at two of its NSW service stations. The company had been selling the same petrol as both unleaded and E10 unleaded 95. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has also accepted court-enforceable undertakings from the company’s directors to:
- not engage in similar misleading conduct
- implement a trade practices compliance program, and
- publish a corrective notice in newspapers and at both service stations.
The onsite day-to-day manager of both service stations has provided a separate court-enforceable undertaking not to engage in such misleading conduct at any service station. More.
NSW – Pollution - Resin spill costs plywood manufacturer $240,000+
A plywood manufacturing company has incurred costs of more than $240,000, after resin overflowed from a mixing tank into a wetland. The costs could have been prevented by spending $43,000 on preventative measures, which the company did after the incident (see paragraphs 77-80 of the judgement). More.
VIC – Water – Sewage clean up leads to $60K fine
A maintenance contractor has been fined $60,000 after discharging sewage into a stormwater drain instead of a sewer pit during a clean up. Approximately 36,000 litres of sewage was discharged into a South Warrandyte creek. A water authority has previously been fined over the spill. More.
VIC – Water – Council fined for water pollution
A Victorian council has been found guilty of polluting waters. It released poor quality water into the Wimmera River, causing oxygen levels to drop and fish to die. The council has been required to convene a conference to initiate the development of best practice management options for stormwater feeding into the Wimmera River to ensure this does not happen again, and was also ordered to pay EPA costs of $3,000. More.
VIC – Waste – Chemical company counts cost
A Bayswater chemical manufacturer has been fined almost $6,000 and issued with a warning for breaching an EPA notice prohibiting the company from storing chemical and liquid waste near an unprotected stormwater drain. More.
VIC – Litter – $1,000 fine for littering from car
A man who tossed beer bottles and other rubbish out a car window has been fined $1,000. More.
