A new structure for environmental offences, including major
increases in maximum penalties, will be in place soon if changes to
the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 currently before
the NSW Parliament are passed.
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Bill 2014 would also
formally introduce an online planning portal to promote efficiency
and transparency in the planning process.
New offence structure and maximum penalty increases
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Bill 2014 outlines a
three tier structure for planning offences, which is similar to,
but in some respects tougher than, the tiered structure for
environmental offences in the NSW Protection of the Environment
Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act). Maximum penalties
for different offences will be set according to the tier in which
each offence sits, with the highest maximum penalty jumping from
$1.1 million to $5 million.
