ARTICLE · 04 MAY 2016

Act commences to extend legal responsibility for environmental harm in Queensland

Clayton Utz

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The regulator can now extend responsibility for the clean-up, rehabilitation and associated costs to a "related person".

AustraliaEnvironment

Nicole Besgrove

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Key Points:

The regulator can now extend responsibility for clean-up, rehabilitation and associated costs to a "related person".

The Queensland Parliament passed the Environmental Protection (Chain of Responsibility) Bill 2016 with amendments on 22 April 2016. The Act commenced on assent yesterday and will allow the regulator to extend responsibility for clean-up, rehabilitation and associated costs to a "related person". The definition of a "related person" is central to the Act and was the subject of the key amendments made in Committee.

We previously examined the Bill when it was referred to the Agriculture and Environment Committee; its report into the Bill was released on 15 April 2016.

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