Securing the right to take Victorian polluters to court
Victorian communities have the right to take big polluters to court if they are breaking the law, thanks to long-running advocacy by our lawyers and community groups.
The citizen enforcement rights were a critical environmental justice reform to hand power to the people most effected by toxic pollution in the air, land and water we rely on.
The Victorian Environment Protection Authority should be the primary enforcer of pollution laws, but this important tool is a safety net should the EPA fail to do its job and hold polluters to account.
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Inclusion of community rights a big step forward for Victorian environment law
Environmental Justice Australia and Environment Victoria have welcomed the introduction to the Victorian Parliament of the Environment Protection Bill, in particular the inclusion of a legal right for the community to enforce pollution laws.
The Bill, if passed into law, will replace the Environment Protection Act 1970 with a new Environment Protection Act 2018.