protection officers to enable them to effectively discharge their duties. The MAC recommends that all 79 councils each have a local environment protection officer. The MAC references the existence of the Victorian Government Agreement and notes that DELWP will need to consult with local government to establish the critical aspects of the proposal. The MAC also notes that councils will require additional funding to fulfil their increased role for managing local issues, including specific funding to appoint the local environment protection officers. They mention the sharing of landfill levy revenue as one possible funding option. Litter, noise and septic tanks are identified as key problem areas for local government that must be dealt with. There is a pressing need for clearly defined statutory powers, capabilities and role clarity. Other points of interest Climate Change The MAC recommends that, as a matter of priority, the Victorian Government clarifies the EPA’s role and directs its activities for regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and provide the EPA with appropriate statutory instruments to give effect to its role. Landuse planning The MAC recommends creating a statutory trigger to ensure that the EPA can participate in strategic land use planning, for example, in evaluating structure plans. In particular, the MAC wants the EPA to be involved in strategic planning processes undertaken by the new Victorian Planning Authority, to be defined as a statutory requirement in the VPA legislation. It also wants changes made to EPA regulatory standards and guidelines to ensure that, as land use pressures increase, appropriate buffers are created and maintained around waste facilities, landfills and other scheduled premises. Wind farms The MAC does not consider that the EPA should license wind farms. The MAC is of the view that the obligation to obtain a licence should continue to apply only to activities that pose a significant risk to human health or the environment. The MAC does concede that auditors can play a valuable role in providing authoritative assessments of wind farm noise as part of planning processes. Prosecutions procedures and resourcing The MAC recommends that the EPA adopt a whole-of-organisation commitment to strengthen procedures and resourcing for prosecutions. It found that compared with other jurisdictions, the EPA initiates relatively few prosecutions and secures few enforceable undertakings. The MAC also recommends expanding the range of sanctions and increasing severity including by substantially increasing the maximum penalties for breaches under the EP Act and allowing courts to fix fines to take account of the economic benefits of Legacy contaminated
protection officers to enable them to effectively discharge their duties. The MAC recommends that all 79 councils each have a local environment protection officer. The MAC references the existence of the Victorian Government Agreement and notes that DELWP will need to consult with local government to establish the critical aspects of the proposal. The MAC also notes that councils will require additional funding to fulfil their increased role for managing local issues, including specific funding to appoint the local environment protection officers. They mention the sharing of landfill levy revenue as one possible funding option. Litter, noise and septic tanks are identified as key problem areas for local government that must be dealt with. There is a pressing need for clearly defined statutory powers, capabilities and role clarity. Other points of interest Climate Change The MAC recommends that, as a matter of priority, the Victorian Government clarifies the EPA’s role and directs its activities for regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and provide the EPA with appropriate statutory instruments to give effect to its role. Landuse planning The MAC recommends creating a statutory trigger to ensure that the EPA can participate in strategic land use planning, for example, in evaluating structure plans. In particular, the MAC wants the EPA to be involved in strategic planning processes undertaken by the new Victorian Planning Authority, to be defined as a statutory requirement in the VPA legislation. It also wants changes made to EPA regulatory standards and guidelines to ensure that, as land use pressures increase, appropriate buffers are created and maintained around waste facilities, landfills and other scheduled premises. Wind farms The MAC does not consider that the EPA should license wind farms. The MAC is of the view that the obligation to obtain a licence should continue to apply only to activities that pose a significant risk to human health or the environment. The MAC does concede that auditors can play a valuable role in providing authoritative assessments of wind farm noise as part of planning processes. Prosecutions procedures and resourcing The MAC recommends that the EPA adopt a whole-of-organisation commitment to strengthen procedures and resourcing for prosecutions. It found that compared with other jurisdictions, the EPA initiates relatively few prosecutions and secures few enforceable undertakings. The MAC also recommends expanding the range of sanctions and increasing severity including by substantially increasing the maximum penalties for breaches under the EP Act and allowing courts to fix fines to take account of the economic benefits of Legacy contaminated