YAKKA MUNGA STATION —
LAND CLEARING
675. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the land clearing at
Yakka Munga station by Shanghai Zenith Investment Holding Pty Ltd.
(1) Is the
minister aware that by clearing land at Yakka Munga, and engaging in
ground-disturbing works without a permit, Shanghai Zenith is in breach of the
Environmental Protection Act 1986?
(2) If no to (1), why not?
(3) Is the
minister aware that by clearing land at Yakka Munga without possessing
authority to do so, Shanghai Zenith is in breach of the commonwealth
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999?
(4) If no to (3), why not?
(5) Considering the reaction to this land clearing,
will the minister build on the stop-work order he issued and work towards
changing laws and regulations so that land clearing of this nature becomes
harder to commit?
(6) As a result
of ground-disturbing works undertaken without a permit, will prosecution be
undertaken?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) I
am aware that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is currently
investigating the circumstances of the clearing at Yakka Munga station.
(3)–(4) The
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is administered
by the commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy. Investigators
from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation have advised the
Department of the Environment and Energy of the activities undertaken at Yakka
Munga station.
(5) The clearing
of native vegetation is already an offence unless done under a clearing permit,
or the clearing is for an exempt purpose under the Environmental Protection Act
1986.
(6) The
investigation by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation into the
clearing is ongoing. Once finalised, the most appropriate enforcement response
will be determined in accordance with the department's compliance and
enforcement policy.