A Victorian company has been fined $30,000 for constructing an unauthorised cattle feedlot at Warradarge in Western Australia’s Mid-West region.
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson said the fine should act as a deterrent to people who disregarded the laws in place to protect the environment.
Kalimpa Park Pty Ltd was last week convicted in the Perth Magistrates Court of causing a premises to become prescribed without approval under section 52 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (EP Act).
The court heard that Kalimpa started building works for a large cattle feedlot in February 2017 – before seeking required approvals from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
Inspections of the property in July 2017 and November 2017 identified deficiencies in the construction – including significant erosion, and dams and infrastructure being built to different dimensions and in different locations to plans previously submitted to the department.
In handing down his decision, Magistrate Richard Bayly said this was a serious breach of the Environmental Protection Act with the potential to cause serious environmental problems.
In addition to the $30,000 fine, Kalimpa was also ordered to pay court costs of $578.70 and $9,063 to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in lieu of the cost of a works approval.
As noted by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
“This conviction and fine should serve as a timely warning to remind companies and other commercial enterprises of their responsibility to operate within the confines of the EP Act and relevant environmental legislation.”
