The question on everyone’s lips… who won the Green Ant Gin?
…and what was the largest total financial cost in FY16-17 for environmental non-compliance due to negligence in Australia?
The launch of Green Ticket at the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) national conference in Sydney had delegates thinking about environmental fines and legal costs delivered for environmental non-compliance due to negligence.
If environmental practitioners had any say, environmental non-compliance would be heavily penalised.
The average response was $235,871,875.00… close to $236 million for one fine. The answer, soberingly, was far less than that. The largest total financial cost in the financial year 2016-2017, for environmental non-compliance due to negligence in Australia was $850,000.
In February 2017, Caltex Australia was fined $400,000 and ordered to pay a further $450,000 in legal costs. This penalty was ordered by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority (NSW EPA taken from the NSW EPA 2016-17 annual report). The court summary outlines:
February 2017 – Caltex Australia
Negligently contributing to the escape of a substance in a manner that harmed or was likely to harm the environment (Tier 1 offence – the most serious environmental offences which attract the highest maximum penalties).
On 12 July 2015, at the Banksmeadow Terminal of Caltex Australia Petroleum, two contractors attempted to remove unleaded petrol from a tank using a pump and temporary hose fitting that were not designed for the task. On opening a valve, the temporary hose connection disengaged and a geyser of about 157,205 litres of petrol gushed out of the tank.
Land and Environment Court convicted Caltex. A total penalty of $400,000, comprised of $200,000 to Bayside Council for the Bushcare Restoration Project in Sir Joseph Banks Park and $200,000 paid to the Department of Primary Industries for the Mulloway Stocking Project to enhance recreational fishing opportunities in Botany Bay The prosecutor’s (EPA) legal costs of $450,000.
While not as high as most of the answers given at the EIANZ national conference, it is still a substantial levy for a company. Greater awareness by the Caltex team could have prevented this offence.
Green Ticket manages environmental risk with its digital environmental training courses, assisting companies train their staff on environmental awareness compliance.
And the winners are ….
Faye Woodward from Linchpin Environmental, who answered $900,000 and Emma Bentton from SHOES Safety, Health, Operations, Environment, Systems, who answered $800,000.
