The EPA conducts inspections and investigations into operations carried out under a Private Native Forestry Plan approved by the Local Land Services, and the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice.
In 2019-20, the EPA assessed 18 forestry operations on private land for compliance.
Compliance actions taken in the last few years
Compliance action taken |
2016-17 |
2017-18 |
2018-19 |
2019-20 |
2020 to 17/02/21 |
Advisory Letters |
3 |
10 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
Directions (Voluntary) |
10 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Show Cause Letters |
3 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
;0 |
Formal Warnings |
0 |
12 |
8 |
10 |
5 |
Official Cautions |
2 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
Clean up Notices |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Stop Work Orders |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Penalty Notices |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
PNF Plan Terminations |
3 |
2 |
0 |
N/A* |
N/A* |
Prosecutions completed |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
* As of 30 April 2018, Local Land Services assumed responsibility for the termination of PNF plans in accordance with 60ZZ of the Local Land Services Act 2013. The EPA no longer reports on PNF plan terminations.
The numbers in the table are the number of operations that were issued with a particular type of compliance action. Compliance actions may also have been issued to a number of parties associated with each operation. Each compliance action may also relate to a number of breaches.
During the period between July 2017 and June 2019, the EPA undertook three prosecutions relating to section 120 of the Protection of the Environment Operation Act 1997 and the now repealed section 12 of the Native Vegetation Act 2003. In one case in the Mid Coast Local Government Area (LGA), the defendant was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000. In another case in the Clarence Valley LGA, charges were withdrawn. In the most recent case in the Tenterfield LGA, the defendant was ordered to pay a $5,500 fine.