NT Government's EPA proposal not acceptable!

The Environment Centre of the NT (ECNT) says the proposed Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as announced by the government on 22 June falls well short of what the government promised and is unacceptably weak.

ECNT Coordinator Peter Robertson said that an EPA that does not have any statutory powers of assessment, regulation or enforcement is not going to be taken seriously by government, industry or the public.

“The government’s proposed EPA is merely an advisory body that can and most likely will be ignored.

“Prior to the last election the government promised a ‘strong EPA with the necessary resources and tools including the best environmental protection laws in Australia’. [Top End Environment Package, ALP election campaign statement, 2005]

“What we are being offered instead is a possibly well-meaning but ultimately toothless body that will be unable to ensure any improvement in environmental protection across the NT.

“The only meaningful power the EPA appears likely to have is the power to carry out investigations of government agencies in respect of their environmental processes but it appears even then the EPA will have no powers to act on its own findings.

“The government must stop ignoring the very serious environmental problems confronting the NT and commit to the creation of an EPA that has some realistic chance of raising the standard of environmental protection, planning, assessment and compliance.” .

Further comment: Peter Robertson 8981 1984 / 0409 089 020