❓ Mr. Miles raises concerns about illegal dumping in Wanneroo. The Minister for the Environment outlines actions taken, including increased fines and camera surveillance, while acknowledging ongoing challenges, particularly in the Gnangara-Moore River State Forest.
AnsweredQoN 857Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ILLEGAL
DUMPING
857. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for
the Environment:
I note that illegal dumping
continues to be an issue in my electorate of Wanneroo and the community as a
whole.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Armadale!
Mr
P.T. MILES : That being the case, can the minister explain what is being
done to deal with the issue?
DUMPING
857. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for
the Environment:
I note that illegal dumping
continues to be an issue in my electorate of Wanneroo and the community as a
whole.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Armadale!
Mr
P.T. MILES : That being the case, can the minister explain what is being
done to deal with the issue?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Wanneroo for
not only his question, but also his tireless advocacy in this area on behalf of
his electorate and his continual knocking on my door for solutions and
responses going forward to tackle this problem. But that is not to say that
this government has not done a lot in this space to address littering and
illegal dumping. The Liberal–National government has a strong proven
track record in this area. I will rehash some of what we have done since 2008.
In 2010 this government introduced
the offence of dumping waste under the Environmental Protection Act, an offence
that attracts a maximum $62 5000 fine for individuals and $125 000 fine for
businesses. This government also legislatively increased the maximum penalties
under the Litter Act 1979 increasing them from $1 000 to $5 000 for individuals
and out to $10 000 for corporations. Indeed, we also increased penalties for
spot littering infringements out to $200 where previously they were sitting at
only $75. In 2012 we introduced a new category of ''litter creating a
public risk'' which was introduced into the litter regulations. That
category of offence attracts a penalty of $500 for individuals and $2 000 for
corporations. They are significant increases in penalties—significant
increases that are already showing very strong results in this state. The Keep
Australia Beautiful National Litter Index for 2013‑14 has shown a 38 per
cent reduction, since 2008‑09, in the number of litter items that we
would typically find within 1 000 square metres of this state.
They are very strong improvements, but we also acknowledge
that there is still work to be done. I have been working on this area with the
member for Wanneroo. Although we are tackling litter well, there is some work
to be done on illegal dumping, particularly on the Department of Parks and
Wildlife's land, for example, in the Wanneroo electorate, including the
Gnangara–Moore River State Forest pine plantation area north of Perth.
We recently announced the installation this month of motion-sensing infra-red
cameras. We will also have warning signs heading into the pine plantation that
we are monitoring and drastically increased fines will apply. We will have
covert motion-sensing cameras to catch people in the act so we can prosecute
them with the increased powers provided to us under the act. Indeed, that site
in the pine plantation is a regular dumping area. Already this year more than
76 tonnes of rubbish has been removed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife will continue to work in partnership with
the Department of Environment Regulation to ensure that when we catch people
through the use of these covert cameras, we prosecute them to the full effect
so that we can have a litter-free state.
not only his question, but also his tireless advocacy in this area on behalf of
his electorate and his continual knocking on my door for solutions and
responses going forward to tackle this problem. But that is not to say that
this government has not done a lot in this space to address littering and
illegal dumping. The Liberal–National government has a strong proven
track record in this area. I will rehash some of what we have done since 2008.
In 2010 this government introduced
the offence of dumping waste under the Environmental Protection Act, an offence
that attracts a maximum $62 5000 fine for individuals and $125 000 fine for
businesses. This government also legislatively increased the maximum penalties
under the Litter Act 1979 increasing them from $1 000 to $5 000 for individuals
and out to $10 000 for corporations. Indeed, we also increased penalties for
spot littering infringements out to $200 where previously they were sitting at
only $75. In 2012 we introduced a new category of ''litter creating a
public risk'' which was introduced into the litter regulations. That
category of offence attracts a penalty of $500 for individuals and $2 000 for
corporations. They are significant increases in penalties—significant
increases that are already showing very strong results in this state. The Keep
Australia Beautiful National Litter Index for 2013‑14 has shown a 38 per
cent reduction, since 2008‑09, in the number of litter items that we
would typically find within 1 000 square metres of this state.
They are very strong improvements, but we also acknowledge
that there is still work to be done. I have been working on this area with the
member for Wanneroo. Although we are tackling litter well, there is some work
to be done on illegal dumping, particularly on the Department of Parks and
Wildlife's land, for example, in the Wanneroo electorate, including the
Gnangara–Moore River State Forest pine plantation area north of Perth.
We recently announced the installation this month of motion-sensing infra-red
cameras. We will also have warning signs heading into the pine plantation that
we are monitoring and drastically increased fines will apply. We will have
covert motion-sensing cameras to catch people in the act so we can prosecute
them with the increased powers provided to us under the act. Indeed, that site
in the pine plantation is a regular dumping area. Already this year more than
76 tonnes of rubbish has been removed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife will continue to work in partnership with
the Department of Environment Regulation to ensure that when we catch people
through the use of these covert cameras, we prosecute them to the full effect
so that we can have a litter-free state.
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