On 23 November 2023, DESI accepted an enforceable undertaking from a company in relation to impacts to freehold land and a road reserve that occurred following a hard rock quarry blast at their Quarry in May 2019 (see image). The impacted land has been in continuous ownership by the same family for 150 years extending back to the 1870s.
As a result of the impacts to the land, DESI commenced proceedings against the company for charges including causing serious environmental harm. The enforceable undertaking is a statutory outcome which provides an alternative to court proceedings.
The enforceable undertaking includes:
- a payment of $300,000 to be spent on a Logan River riparian restoration project improving a highly degraded section of river and adjacent vegetation immediately downstream of the site.
- $1.2M for rehabilitation costs expended up to the date the enforceable undertaking was agreed
- a further minimum of $1.5M in future rehabilitation expenditure
- rehabilitation standards must meet the expectations of the impacted landholders
- the company cannot financially profit from the removal of any material required to stabilise the impacted land
- $10,000 in investigation costs.
- review of the company’s environmental management practices.
You can report pollution events by calling the 24/7 Pollution Hotline – 1300 130 372, option 2 or online at https://tinyurl.com/pollutionhotline
