The State Government is prosecuting a fifth mine in north west Queensland in relation to alleged environmental offences, Department of Environment and Resource Management, Assistant Director General, Environmental and Natural Resource Regulation, Dean Ellwood said today.

Mr Ellwood said prosecution had commenced against Ernest Henry Mining Pty Ltd, owner of the Ernest Henry Mine, near Cloncurry. (Read on …)

A timely reminder for directors and managers – environmental compliance is as important as ever and a recent decision shows the threat of prosecution is real.

In the midst of the current economic crisis, it’s tempting to focus on financial survival at the expense of other corporate issues. A recent prosecution of a senior manager in the NSW Land and Environment Court, however, demonstrates that environmental compliance is as
important as it ever was.

The case of Garrett v Freeman (No. 5) is the first prosecution in NSW of a senior council employee for actions undertaken as part of his job. It is also the latest indication that environment protection agencies are prepared to prosecute, and courts are prepared to sentence, senior managers of corporations large and small, in both the public and private sectors.
(Read on …)

New Zealand dairy farmers are failing to clean up their act, according to the latest audit of the sector, with effluent rule compliance getting worse in the past year.

Agriculture minister David Carter, Fonterra and farmer groups have described the latest pollution report as “extremely disappointing”, “completely unacceptable” and “totally unacceptable”.

The Clean Streams Accord results for 2008/09 show non-compliance with regional council rules rose to 15 per cent, compared with 12 per cent a year earlier. (Read on …)