|
Compliance Policy and Guidelines – a regional compliance policy was developed and HCCREMS is now working with councils to develop a series of best practice guidelines relating to enforcement and regulation which will support the policy. A number of training opportunities have assisted in the development of and support these guidelines. These include:
- Training on evidence gathering and investigative interviewing
- Cert IV training in Government (Investigations)
|
|
Council Compliance Assessments – resources from AELERT (Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators neTwork), have been modified to develop a council compliance system 'self-assessment process'. The assessment provides council with details of the strengths of their systems, and provides feedback on possible system improvements that could be implemented.
|
|
Environmental Compliance Education – a number of community education campaign kits have been developed to assist councils to implement awareness raising campaigns on environmental compliance issues relevant to their communities. Campaign themes include illegal earthworks, illegal clearing, and illegal dumping. Campaign kits include:
- Standard media releases
- Information for inclusion on council websites
- Posters and other various collateral
- Monitoring and evaluation plans and tools
|
|
Illegal dumping – HCCREMS is developing a number of individual activities to strengthen the management of illegal dumping in the region.
A regional illegal dumping database (MS Access based) which allows data from all councils and state agencies to be entered and automatically plotted in their individual GIS systems is available for use. This tool allows an accurate mapping of hot spots and will eventually be able to be utilised by councils to plan enforcement activities.
Councils are supported to undertake illegal dumping enforcement campaigns (blitz's) to identify sites of illegal dumping and inform council enforcement and clean up programs through provision of guidance documents, advice and where possible funding.
Investigations into the suitability of introducing a regional management system for illegal dumping. A business case will be developed and presented to the General Managers Advisory Committee (GMAC) and OEH for consideration and possible adoption/funding.
An illegal dumping deterence project is implementing the trial of a number of different measures (cameras, signage, bollards, gates, revegetation and mounding) to identify which measures are the most cost effective at deterring dumping in bushland reserves.
|
|
Land Use Planning – The activities in this project relate to the development of guidelines, tools and capacity building opportunities, developed to assist council staff to effectively manage and protect the local environment.
Project outputs include:
- Provision of training on writing enforceable conditions of consent
- Assistance with the development of regionally standard conditions of consent
- Information on funding options available for environmental compliance programs
- Development of a computerised Review of Environmental Factors (REF) template to assist councils to ensure they have adequately covered off on all environmental factors to be considered before they commence activities needing approval under Part V of the EP&A Act.
|