The Perth Magistrates Court recently found gold miner Bellevue Gold Limited liable for two environmental offences relating to a hypersaline spill after enforcement action by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Bellevue was fined $41,000 in total for the offences. Read more

The Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 (Qld) (EPOLA Bill) was passed yesterday. The EPOLA Bill amends the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) with wide ranging implications for Queensland operators, in particular for the resources sector. It also makes minor amendments to the Waste Reduction and recycling Act 2011 (Qld) and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 (Qld). Read more

On 4 March 2023, the UN Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (Conference) reached agreement on the text of a new treaty which seeks to protect the marine environment. The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological … Read more

Going into the recent Federal election, the Australian Labor Party committed to establishing an independent Environment Protection Agency and providing a full response to the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). With the new Ministry now sworn in, we look at what changes these commitments might bring. Read more

The recent Australian Federal election has resulted in a change of government. While the government is settling in, our Environment, Planning and Communities partners set out their top 5 predictions for coming change on environmental matters, and where the priorities should lie. Read more

The Cooperative Research Centre of Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, in consultation with the National Remediation Framework Steering Group, has released the National Remediation Framework. The Framework is intended for use by land owners and managers, government agencies and site contamination practitioners as a reference point for best practice methods and approaches to remediation. Read more

COVID-19 poses a real risk of staff absences and impacts on environmental supply chains. There may also be the need for operations to cease temporarily, and at short notice. Business will need to consider the threat this poses to their capacity to comply. COVID-19 will not excuse businesses from meeting environmental obligations. Read more