Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment

Committee Members

The committee represents the interests of community, industry and the environment.  

Chair

John Tate
Mr Tate is the proprietor of a local automotive industry company and has extensive experience in small business. John served as a Councillor for the City of Newcastle from 1980 and was popularly elected as Lord Mayor of Newcastle in 1999, to his retirement in 2012. John served as Chair of the Hunter Economic Development Corporation, and as the Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia - Hunter. He has been a Director of the Regional Land Management Corporation, the Newcastle Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Honeysuckle Development Corporation and Hunter Development Corporation.

Community representatives 

Keith Craig
Mr Craig has a degree in Chemical Engineering and Master of Environmental Science and works in the water industry. He has represented the local community on various committees and industry community reference groups, such as the  Stockton Community Action Group, for many years. He received the 2014 Newcastle Volunteer Service Award for his contribution to the Newcastle Community. He was an original member of the NCCCE when it was first formed in 2011. He is passionate about the environment, the need for continued improvement and for effective communication on environmental issues and performance with the community from the regulators and industry.

Chris Tola
Chris is community focused, having held a range of positions in a diversity of organisations, with the highlight of this involvement so far being National Chair for Surfrider Foundation Australia, being the Community Representative on the Nuclear Safety Committee with the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, along with being a founding member of National Surfing Reserves, Take 3 and the Australian Coastal Society. Chris maintains networks across a broad range of sectors and uses these networks to receive and distribute information. 

Ministers Community representative

Rick Banyard
Mr Banyard has a background in agriculture, mechanics and as a teacher of technical education. Rick is a long-term resident of Newcastle and the Hunter and has a long term association with action on environmental issues including air quality and water quality management. Rick is an active member of a wide variety of Newcastle organisations and is recognised for his research skills.

Environment representative 

Steven Crick 
Steve has qualifications in science and environmental management and over 20 years’ experience working as an environmental scientist. He has extensive experience working with and within community groups around Newcastle and across NSW. Steve has been a committee member of the Hunter Environmental Institute since 2014 and from 2015-19 held the position of chair.

Industry representatives 

Nathan Robinson
Mr Robinson has 25 years’ experience across the Steel, Aviation and Chemical Manufacturing sectors in environmental, risk and safety management.  He has a broad knowledge of environmental matters relating to water quality, air quality, air emissions, waste management, noise management, remediation and environmental management systems. He believes that engagement between industry, EPA and the community is essential to ensure that there is shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities to improve the environmental performance of industry.

Trudie Larnach
Ms Larnach is the Sustainability an d Corporate Affairs Manager at Port Waratah Coal Services. She leads a dedicated team responsible for Port Waratah’s sustainability strategy, including community, government and stakeholder communication and engagement, the community investment programme, and all aspects of environmental management.  She is looking forward to again being an Industry representative on this committee as it provides an avenue for key stakeholder groups to come together and have an open dialogue about matters concerning the environment across the Newcastle Local Government Area.

Leah Cook
Ms Cook is the Principal Advisor Environment & Community with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). ARTC is responsible for selling access to train operators and coal customers, capital investment and maintenance across the network. Ms Cook has a strong understanding of the environmental legislative framework and practical experience implementing environmental mitigation measures. She also has demonstrated capacity to engage with community to resolve their concerns and appreciates the inter-relationship of industry in the broader Newcastle and Hunter regions.

Kristy Anderson
Ms Anderson is a Senior Strategist, Environment at the City of Newcastle. She has over 15 years’ experience in environmental planning and has been an Environmental Strategist with the City of Newcastle for the past 12 years. 

Terms of reference

The EPA has prepared terms of reference to support and guide the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment. See the Terms of reference tab, below.

• Minutes of meeting 60, 16 August 2021 (PDF 132KB)
• Minutes of meeting 59, 17 May 2021 (PDF 136KB)
• Minutes of out of session meeting , 8 March 2021 (PDF 58KB)
• Minutes of meeting 58, 8 February 2021 (PDF 66KB)
• Minutes of meeting 57, 2 November 2020 (PDF 65KB)
• Minutes of meeting 56, 15 October 2019 (PDF 156KB)
• Minutes of meeting 55, 9 July 2019 (PDF 191KB)
• Minutes of meeting 54, 7 May 2019 (PDF 128KB)
• Minutes of meeting 53, 12 February 2019 (PDF 255KB)
• Minutes of meeting 52, 11 December 2018 (PDF 203KB)
• Minutes of meeting 51, 11 September 2018 (PDF 860KB)
• Minutes of meeting 50, 12 June 2018 (PDF 1.24MB)
• Meeting of meeting 49, 13 March 2018 (PDF 2.77MB)
• Meeting 48, 18 October 2017 (PDF 3.54MB)
• Meeting 47, 19 July 2017 (PDF 2.23MB)
• Meeting 46, 17 May 2017 (PDF 2.75MB)
• Meeting 45, 15 February 2017 (PDF 2.35MB)
• Meeting 44, 19 October 2016 (PDF 1.9MB)
• Meeting 43, 20 July 2016 (PDF 285KB)
• Meeting 42, 20 April 2016 (PDF 251KB)
• Meeting 41, 17 February 2016 (PDF 202KB)
• Meeting 40, 21 October 2015 (PDF 297KB)
• Meeting 39, 16 September 2015 (PDF 310KB)
• Meeting 38, 22 July 2015 (PDF 277KB)
• Meeting 37, 17 June 2015 (PDF 218KB)
• Meeting 36, 20 May 2015 (PDF 229KB)
• Meeting 35, 18 March 2015 (PDF 35KB)
• Meeting 34, 18 February 2015 (PDF 273KB)
• Meeting 33, 10 December 2014 (PDF 268KB)
• Meeting 32, 12 November 2014 (PDF 239KB)
• Meeting 31, 8 October 2014 (PDF 278KB)
• Meeting 30, 10 September 2014 (PDF 244KB)
• Meeting 29, 13 August 2014 (PDF 230KB)
• Meeting 28, 9 July 2014 (PDF 207KB)
• Meeting 27, 11 June 2014 (PDF 277KB)
• Meeting 26, 9 April 2014 (PDF 224KB)
• Meeting 25, 12 March 2014 (PDF 192KB)
• Meeting 24, 12 February 2014 (PDF 212KB)
• Meeting 23, 13 November 2013 (PDF 212KB)
• Meeting 22, 16 October 2013 (PDF 54KB)
• Meeting 21, 16 September 2013 (PDF 42KB)
• Meeting 20, 14 August 2013 (PDF 42KB)
• Meeting 19, 10 July 2013 (PDF 35KB)
• Meeting 18, 12 June 2013 (PDF 31KB)
• Meeting 17, 8 May 2013 (PDF 35KB)
• Meeting 16, 13 March 2013 (PDF 67KB)
• Meeting 15, 13 February 2013 (PDF 33KB)
• Meeting 14, 12 December 2012 (PDF 31KB)
• Meeting 13, 5 November 2012 (PDF 34KB)
• Meeting 12, 10 October 2012 (PDF 46KB)
• Meeting 11, 10 September 2012 (PDF 30KB)
• Meeting 10, 11 July 2012 (PDF 39KB)
• Meeting 9, 13 June 2012 (PDF 42KB)
• Meeting 8, 9 May 2012 (PDF 64KB)
• Meeting 7, 16 April 2012 (PDF 60KB)
• Meeting 6, 14 March 2012 (PDF 89KB)
• Meeting 5, 8 February 2012 (PDF 74KB)
• Meeting 4, 19 December 2011 (PDF 46KB)
• Meeting 3, 30 November 2011 (PDF 33KB)
• Meeting 2, 17 November 2011 (PDF 47KB)
• Meeting 1, 11 November 2011 (PDF 50KB)
• Attachment 1: Verification actions matrix (PDF 1.8MB)
• Attachment 2: Verification actions matrix ammonia feed tanks (PDF 816KB)

Presentations made to the committee

• Newcastle City Council presentation on the Environmental Sensing Network (PDF 2.07 MB) 7 May 2019
• NSW EPA presentation on waste markets and glass recycling (PDF 760 KB) 7 May 2019
• Port Waratah Sustainability Approach & Environmental Case Studies for NCCCE (PDF 2.96 MB) 11 December 2018
• AMSA regulation of Air Emissions from Ships for NCCCE (PDF 869KB)  11 September 2018
• OEH Newcastle Air Quality Monitoring Network Autumn 2018 (PDF 1.76 MB) 11 September 2018) 
• Major air quality projects and programs 2014-15 (PDF 56KB)  June 2014 
• NCCCE Emergency Management Arrangements (PDF 1MB) 8 February 2011
• NCCCE Air quality monitoring (PDF 1.13MB) 30 November 2011
• NCCCE Information Briefing (PDF 574KB) 30 November 2011
• NCCCE Lower Hunter B (PDF 899KB) 17 November 2011
• NCCCE Lower Hunter A (PDF 1.04MB) 17 November 2011
• NCCCE Overview (PDF 273KB) 11 November 2011
• NCCCE Upper Hunter (PDF 273KB) 11 November 2011
• Keith Craig SCAG - Stockton environmental monitoring (PDF 32KB)

Scope

The scope of the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment is to enable local communities in the Newcastle Local Government Area to engage with their industrial neighbours and provide advice to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), other relevant NSW Government agencies and the Minister for Energy and Environment.

The Committee is established under the Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991, Division 4 Advisory Committees.

Further information about the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee for the Environment is available on the NSW EPA website. 

A.  Appointment of the Committee

1. The Committee is to be called the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment and will cover the Newcastle Local Government Area.
2. The Committee is to be comprised of the following members, each of whom is to be appointed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA or the CEO’s delegate:
   1. one independent chairperson
   2. three representatives of the local community
   3. three representatives of industry in the local area
   4. one representative of an environmental group
   5. one representative of the City of Newcastle Council
3. Each person appointed as a member of the Committee is to be a person who, in the opinion of the EPA, demonstrates a strong connection with the interest group that person seeks to represent, the skills to represent that group, taking into consideration the views of other groups, and commitment to the establishment of the Committee. Committee members will also be selected to ensure that the Committee represents a cross-section of community interests.
4. If the EPA declines to appoint a person nominated as a member of the Committee by a person or body referred to in subclause (2), the EPA may invite the person or body to nominate another person as a member of the Committee.
5. The Chairperson referred to in subclause (2)(a) is to be independent and preferably will not be associated with any of the interest groups listed in subclauses 2(b)-(e). The Chairperson will demonstrate high-level skills and extensive experience in effectively chairing meetings, committees, or liaison groups.
6. The EPA will provide secretariat and administrative resources for the Committee.
7. The EPA may invite representatives of other NSW Government agencies to attend Committee meetings so that the Committee can advise them on relevant issues.

B.  Functions of the Committee

1. The Committee has the following functions:
   1. To advise the EPA, other NSW government agencies and the Minister for Energy and Environment on existing, new or emerging matters of environmental concern in the Newcastle Local Government Area.
   2. To advise the EPA, other NSW government agencies and the Minister for Energy and the Environment on the effectiveness of measures and actions required to monitor, mitigate or reduce environmental impacts from industries and activities associated with major industries in the Newcastle Local Government Area.
   3. To promote dialogue between industry and the community to rebuild the community’s confidence in the environmental performance of industry.
   4. To contribute to the continued implementation of the environmental monitoring systems in the Newcastle area.
   5. To identify and review any community concerns or complaints regarding any environmental and amenity issues associated with the nearby industrial activities.
   6. To inform the community and industry of any actions to be undertaken by the EPA in response to matters raised.
   7. To consider and advise the EPA, other NSW government agencies and the Minister for Energy and Environment on the mechanisms by which the community wishes to be notified and kept informed in the event of an environmental incident, and the emergency response and to review emergency response procedures and plans across precincts within the Newcastle Local Government Area.
   8. To facilitate ongoing communication and transfer of information between industries and the local community.
   9. To consider any matter referred to it by the EPA, or any other relevant matter.

C.  Constitution of the Committee

Please refer to Schedule 1 for the constitution of the Committee.

Schedule 1: Constitution of the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

1.    Terms of office of members

A member of the Committee may hold office for a period of two years. Committee members whose membership has expired, and continue to meet the assessment criteria, are eligible for reappointment.

2.    Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct applies during Committee meetings, and any associated correspondence between Committee members and advising agencies. Committee members will be expected to follow this Code when dealing with other members, observers, guest speakers, technical experts, and any other person/s that attends a meeting or is involved in correspondence relating to this Committee.

Each Committee member is subject to the following Code of Conduct requirements. Any advising agency or external attendee who attends a Committee meeting, will be subject to this Code of Conduct.

1. Act in an honest and ethical manner
2. Respect and show consideration to others;
   1. Value diversity, differing roles and opinions
   2. Consider people equally without prejudice or favor
   3. Allow others to be heard
   4. Refrain from being offensive or disrespectful
3. Do not act on behalf of, or represent the Committee, in any circumstance including external correspondence, meetings, or any engagement with others, unless it has been agreed upon by the Committee.
4. Attend all meetings or give apologies. If a member cannot regularly attend meetings, provide an alternative representative as their deputy (See 4 Deputies).
5. Provide any agenda items to the Chair prior to a meeting and follow the agreed Agenda during the meeting.
6. Accept group decisions, and only re-visit closed agenda items if new, relevant subject matter emerges.

3.    Remuneration

All non-industry and non-government members are eligible to receive remuneration (including travelling and subsistence allowances) as outlined in the remuneration framework for NSW Government boards and Committees.

4.    Deputies

1. Committee members may request a person to be the deputy of that member. The EPA may agree to such a request.
2. In the absence of a member, the member’s deputy may, if available, act in the place of the member.
3. While acting in the place of a member, a person:
   1. has all the functions of the member and is taken to be a member
   2. is entitled to receive remuneration (including travelling and subsistence allowances), as determined by the EPA.
4. For the purposes of this clause, a vacancy in the office of a member is taken to be an absence of the member.

5.    Vacancy in office of members

1. The office of a member becomes vacant if the member:
   1. is medically unfit
   2. completes a term of office and is not reappointed
   3. resigns to the office in writing addressed to the EPA
   4. is removed from office by the EPA under this schedule and clause
   5. is absent from four consecutive meetings of the Committee of which reasonable notice has been given to the member personally or by post, except where advice requesting an absence has been accepted by the EPA
   6. becomes bankrupt, applies to take the benefit of any law for the relief of bankrupt or insolvent debtors, compounds with his or her creditors or makes an assignment of his or her remuneration for their benefit
   7. is convicted in NSW of an offence that is punishable by imprisonment for 12 months or more or is convicted elsewhere than in NSW of an offence that, if committed in NSW, would be an offence so punishable.
2. The EPA may, at any time, remove a member from the Committee.

6.    Filling a Committee position

If a position on the Committee becomes vacant, the EPA will issue an expression of interest for nominations to fill the vacancy. Where no nomination is received the Committee may continue until such time that a suitable person nominates and is appointed.

7.    Chairperson

1. The person vacates office as Chairperson if the person:
   1. is removed from office by the EPA, or
   2. ceases to be a member.
2. The EPA may at any time remove the Chairperson from the position of Chairperson.

The Chairperson will be entitled to be paid such remuneration (including travelling and subsistence allowances) as stated in Part 3 of this Schedule.

8.    Disclosure of pecuniary interests

The Committee is a non-statutory committee formed to enable local communities in the Newcastle Local Government Area to engage with their industrial neighbours, the EPA and the Minister for Energy and Environment. The disclosure of pecuniary interests for this Committee is an EPA requirement.

1. If a member of the Committee has a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in a matter being considered or about to be considered at a meeting of the Committee, and this interest appears to raise a conflict with the proper performance of the member’s duties in relation to the consideration of the matter, the member must, as soon as possible after the relevant facts have come to the member’s knowledge, disclose the nature of the interest at a meeting of the Committee.
2. A disclosure by a member at a meeting of the Committee that the member:
   1. is a member, or is in the employment of a specified company or other body, or
   2. is a partner, or is in the employment of a specified person, or
   3. has some other specified interest relating to a specified company or other body or to a specified person, is sufficient disclosure of the nature of the interest in any matter relating to that company, other body or person which may arise after the date of the disclosure and is required to be disclosed under the Terms of Reference.
3. Particulars of any disclosure made under this clause must be recorded by the Committee in the minutes of the meeting concerned.
4. A member of the Committee is not disqualified from taking part in any deliberation of the matter, or in a decision with respect to the matter, because of the member’s pecuniary interest.
5. A contravention of this clause does not invalidate any advice of the Committee.

9.    Procedures of the Committee

Subject to this Schedule, the procedures of the Committee are to be drafted by the EPA and supported by the Committee.

10.  Quorum

The quorum requirement for a meeting of the Committee is that a majority of its members are present for the duration of the meeting.

11.  Presiding member

1. The Chairperson is to preside at a meeting of the Committee.
2. The presiding member has a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equality of votes, has a second or casting vote.

12.  Voting

A discussion supported by a majority of the votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present is a decision of the Committee.

13.  Minutes

The Committee is required to keep minutes of proceedings at its meetings. EPA acts as secretariat to the Committee.

14.  Meeting frequency

As a minimum, the Committee is expected to meet twice a year.

• Orica start-up committee (PDF 17KB)
• Orica decision report (14 December 2011) (PDF 214KB)

Current monitoring results

For current monitoring results, go to the map of the Newcastle Air Quality Monitoring Network.

Air quality seasonal newsletters

For air quality seasonal newsletters, go to Newcastle monitoring reports.

Reports

• Newcastle Local Government Area Environment Protection Licence Summary (PDF 214KB)
• Review of Meteorology in the Newcastle Inner City & Port Neighbourhood (PDF 5.6MB)
• Lower Hunter Ambient Air Quality Review of Available Data (PDF 7.3MB)

Lower Hunter air quality studies

The EPA consulted with the Newcastle Community Consultative Committee on the Environment on the design and management of the Lower Hunter air quality studies.

Lower Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Monthly Reports

Review of ambient air quality data 2014

Review of ambient air quality data 2013

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the Australian Government agency responsible for implementing the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). MARPOL contains six annexes, of which, Annex VI regulates air pollution from ships to protect the marine environment and human health. This includes greenhouse gases (GHG) and sulfur oxide emissions. 

Sulphur oxide emissions

Under MARPOL, since 1 January 2012 ships globally have been required to use a maximum of 3.50 % m/m (mass by mass) sulfur in fuel oil. On 1 January 2020 this global limit will be reduced to 0.50 %. This change will significantly reduce the amount of sulfur oxide (SOx) being emitted from ships and is expected to have major environmental and health benefits, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts.

Marine diesel oil and petrol sulfur content is generally below this limit and the changed limit will most directly affect larger vessels that use intermediate or heavy fuel oil.

During the transition to the 0.50 % limit, AMSA is working closely with stakeholders to ensure that Australian ships, ports, refineries and fuel suppliers are ready for this change. More information on the new requirement, including how to be involved in the ongoing stakeholder consultation, can be found on the AMSA website.

More information is available on cruise ship compliance in Sydney Harbour.