The Property Council has provided a submission to the Queensland Parliament’s Agriculture and Environment Committee investigation of the Government’s Environmental Protection (Chain of Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2016.
Proposed amendments to the Environmental Protection Act aim to establish a legal chain of responsibility for environmentally damaging activities undertaken by companies in financial difficulty. The amendments would compel related parties to bear the cost of managing and rehabilitating sites in the event that these companies are unable to pay.
As the legislation currently stands, owners of the land on which the activity has taken, or is taking, place would be made liable for these rehabilitation costs. The Property Council has argued that the owner of the land may not necessarily have a responsibility for these activities and has recommended amendments to the Bill which would enable a more thorough test of responsibility.
The Property Council’s submission can be found below.