MONOGRAPH 40 volume 1

53 Research monograph 40 2. Findings 2.2.3 Environmental harm by offence type It is evident from Figure 4 that there are different levels of environmental harm when this feature of environmental offences are examined in terms of the broad nature of the offence. The breakdown is based primarily on the “Top 10” offences but “Tier 1 offences” and “All other offences” are also included. The profile of environmental harm for “All offences” provides the overall (or average) “picture” of level of harm allowing comparisons to be made with each discrete offence category. Predictably, Tier 1 offences — being the most serious of pollution offences under the POEO Act — registered the highest level of serious environmental harm, with almost 56% of all Tier 1 offences involving serious levels of environmental damage. Native vegetation offences and offences under the NPW Act that involved harm to flora/fauna/ ecological systems were also characterised by relatively high levels of serious environmental harm: at 29% and 22%, respectively. Similarly, the proportion of waste offences identified as involving a serious level of environmental harm (24%) was more than double that for all offences. Notably, native vegetation offences, offences involving harm to plants, animals and ecosystems, and waste offences also involved significant proportions of environmental harm at the “medium” level (at 67%, 33% and 19%, respectively). In addition, one in every five (20%) air pollution offences were recorded as involving a medium level of environmental harm. Figure 4: Level of environmental harm for environmental planning and protection offences in the LEC — 2000 to 2015 (principal offence only; “Top 10” offence categories) 0 20 40 60 80 100 All other offences Erect building w/o consent Air pollution Native veg offences Harm flora/fauna/ecology Discharge from ship s 125 offences Waste offences Contravene licence Development w/o consent Pollute waters Tier 1 offences ALL OFFENCES 30 41 18 11 22 22 56 24 53 14 9 40 40 14 6 38 47 9 5 38 19 19 24 20 60 15 5 56 33 10 4 41 33 22 4 67 29 10 70 20 78 22 33 35 20 12 Per cent No environmental harm Low environmental harm Medium environmental harm Serious environmental harm