Compliance Overview

Compliance Framework
Compliance Driver Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW)
Classification Level 1
University-wide concern. Impacts on reputation and funding.
Associated Legislation
Associated Standards None
Associated Codes None
Associated Information None
Return to Top Administrative Information
Administrative Body NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
Administrative Name Local Office
Administrative Address Physical Address
85 Faulkner Street
Armidale NSW
Australia, 2350
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 494
Armidale NSW
Australia, 2350
Administrative Phone 131 555
02 6773 7000
Administrative Email info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Administrative Website http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au
Return to Top General Introduction
VC Compliance Delegate Jo Scanlan, Chief Operating Officer
Compliance Coordinator Bradley Nixon, Associate Director Operational Services
Business Units Impacted
  • Advancement, Communications, and Events Directorate
  • Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit
  • Australian Business Research Institute
  • Business Intelligence
  • Centre for Agriculture and Law
  • Centre for Analytics Software Infomatics
  • Centre for Applied Research in Social Science
  • Centre for Local Government
  • Corporate Communications and Events
  • CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies
  • Education Enterprise
  • Education Quality
  • English Language Centre
  • Estate and Built Environment
  • Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education
  • Faculty of Medicine and Health
  • Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law
  • Finance
  • Heritage Centre
  • Heritage Futures Research Centre
  • Institute for Rural Futures
  • Internal Audit
  • Legal Services
  • Library Services
  • Office of Strategy Management
  • Office of the Chief Financial Officer
  • Office of the Chief Legal and Governance Officer
  • Office of the Chief Operating Officer
  • Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
  • Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Innovation)
  • Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (External Relations)
  • Office of the Vice-Chancellor and CEO
  • Oorala Aboriginal Centre
  • People and Culture
  • Place Based@UNE
  • Records Team
  • Records, Policy and Governance Unit
  • Research Services
  • Residential System
  • Rural Properties
  • School of Education
  • School of Environmental and Rural Science
  • School of Health
  • School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
  • School of Law
  • School of Psychology
  • School of Rural Medicine
  • School of Science and Technology
  • Strategic Procurement
  • Student Experience
  • Student Grievance Unit
  • Technology and Digital Services
  • The National Centre of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education
  • UNE Business School
  • UNE Council
  • UNE Foundation Limited
  • UNE Foundation Trust
  • UNE International
  • UNE Life
  • UNE Marketing
  • UNE Medical Centre
  • UNE Partnerships Pty Ltd
  • University Secretariat
  • Yarm Gwanga
Overview The POEO Act object is to protect, restore and enhance the environment in NSW and to promote public access to information and involvement in environment protection.

There is a broad allocation of responsibilities under the Act between the EPA, local councils and other public authorities. The EPA is made the regulatory authority for:
* activities listed in Schedule 1 to the Act and the premises where they are carried out
* activities carried out by a State or public authority
* other activities in relation to which a licence regulating water pollution is issued.
In nearly all other cases, the regulatory authority is the relevant local council.

The Act also:
- Allocates the drafting and publishing of PEP's (Protection of the Environment Policies) and associated impact statements to the EPA.
- Establishes a system of Environment Protection Licences for the purposes of carrying out scheduled activities (e.g. chemical production, sterilisation activities, waste processing electricity generation, livestock intensive activities, etc) and scheduled development work (development designed to enable scheduled activities to take place on the premises).
- Provides for the issue of environment protection notices (clean-up notices, prevention notices, and prohibition notices) - It is an offence under the Act not to comply with such notices and penalties include sizeable fines.
- Defines a tiered mechanism to classify offences and provides for maximum penalties (eg: to willfully dispose of waste in a manner that harms or is likely to harm the environment is a Tier 1 offence that may attract large fines and potential imprisonment).
- Provides for voluntary and mandatory environmental audits and procedural matters for the conduct of investigations (including scope, associated notice requirements, powers of entry, and duty to provide information).