11 August Victoria’s new environmental laws August 11, 2021 By AMPLA Admin Environment climate change, environment, The Laws 0 On July 1, amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017 (Vic) came into effect that impact most businesses operating in Victoria. Victoria’s new environmental laws On July 1, amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2017 (Vic) came into effect that impact most businesses operating in Victoria. The laws consider how environmental risks will be dealt with and introduce a General Environmental Duty (GED). This makes it clear that both businesses and individuals are responsible for protecting our environment and human health. The GED has some similarities to the occupational health and safety framework. It requires organisations to implement “reasonably practicable measures” to reduce environmental hazards and risks. This means you must put in place controls that are proportionate to mitigate or minimise the risk of harm. Under the GED, Victorians must reduce the risk of harm from their activities: to human health and the environment; and from pollution or waste. This places a positive expectation on organisations and individuals to avoid the risk of environmental damage and to respond if pollution or waste occurs. This means you can fall foul of the law even if you don’t cause any pollution or waste - the contravention is failing to put in place proper management systems or plan. This includes but is not limited to managing risks associated with: Business activities that produce dust, noise, odour or runoff to stormwater or into waterways; The storage, use and disposal of liquids and chemicals; and Management of wastes including the choice of transporter or receiver of wastes For many organisations, this will require a risk management and monitoring plan to be put in place and actions documented so that you can demonstrate due diligence. The Act also introduced a new permissions regime with licences, permits and registrations, depending on the level of risk in the activity. Two types of licences will replace existing works approvals and licences - development and operating licences. A development licence is required when designing, constructing or modifying a building project, while an operating licence effectively replaces the previous EPA licence. A permit is required if you’re undertaking a prescribed permit activity, which includes the supply or use of wastewater, biosolids or reportable priority waste. While a registration is required to undertake prescribed registration activities that include low volume e-waste reprocessing, and transporting low-hazard reportable priority waste. There are also a wide range of activities that were not regulated previously that now require either a licence, permit or registration. These include waste and resource recovery, containment of category D waste soil, low-volume on-site wastewater management systems and temporary on-site industrial waste treatment. If you require a licence, permit or registration you will need to apply for them through the EPA who will consider the new Environment Reference Standard (ERS). The ERS is a tool that identifies environmental values that the community wants to achieve and maintain and whether these are met or threatened by the activity. The Act is governed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) who has broad powers to conduct inspections and take action even if no harm has occurred. Anyone who breaches the GED could face civil or criminal penalties, regardless of whether any harm has actually been caused. The EPA can act against anyone who has a responsibility under the Act, which includes people in management or who are in control of an activity that may give rise to the risk of harm. Corporate penalties range from $1.6 million to $3.3 million for aggravated offences, while individual penalties also apply. When considering enforcement, the EPA will look at a range of factors including the attitude and behaviour of the duty holder. If you haven’t yet considered the implications of this legislation, there is no time to waste. Related Articles Implications of the Interim report on Commonwealth environmental protection laws Professor Graeme Samuel recently released his Interim Report of the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). The report is highly critical of the EPBC Act, reporting that it neither ensures effective environmental and biodiversity protections nor efficiently regulates business. In the report, Professor Samuel makes several recommendations, some of which have already become priority areas for the government. These have significant implications for the energy and resources industry. UWA Environmental Protection Law: Online Short Course This short course is for legal practitioners and other professionals interested in the environmental protection regulatory framework in Western Australia, in its national and international contexts. Potential changes to Environmental, Social and Governance reporting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) isn’t new to Australia, but it’s expected to become a more important aspect of business in the coming years. With shareholders and institutional investors paying close attention to business activities with an ESG lens we can expect more focus on this area. A recent example is the HESTA superannuation fund choosing to very publicly vote against the AGL demerger proposal on ESG grounds. 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