Government fails to regulate environmental harm - 15 September 2010

Greens MLC Ian Cohen has criticised the NSW Government's management of pollution incidents following the publishing of the Auditor-General's performance audit of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

"The Auditor-General's report on how well the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) are managing pollution incidents in NSW is a scathing indictment of the disregard this Government holds for the environmental impacts of pollution.

"To find out that the Government's regulator in the fight against pollution does not analyse or report on key environmental performance indicators such as how much environmental harm is occurring from pollution incidents, how many pollution incidents are occurring and whether their approach to regulation is actually effective, is mind-boggling.

"When we have a system whereby polluting activities are licensed, it is of utmost necessity that those regulating the licensees know whether or not the level of reported compliance is accurate and if all pollution incidents are in fact being reported. Instead we have a situation where fewer licences are being issued but the number of reports in which licensees are being implicated is increasing.

"Given that about 90% of pollution incidents were most likely from licensed premises; these failings mean that polluters are effectively given free rein to damage our environment in the pursuit of profits.

"Instead of doing their job of monitoring and enforcing pollution mitigation and management, the Government was found to be relying on the public to be their "eyes and ears" with 80% of pollution incidents being reported by members of the community. And somehow they expect the community to be able to do this without adequately communicating its Environment Line phone number.

"I hope that the Government takes the Auditor-General's report for the wake-up call that it is and rely on misleading and indefensible statements to hide the fact that they are simply not doing their job in regulating pollution" said Mr Cohen.