Draft Air Quality Act Regulations for Implementing and Enforcing Priority Area Air Quality Management Plans published for comment before 17 April 2023
17 March 2023
On 17 March 2023, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment published Draft Regulations for Implementing and Enforcing Priority Area Air Quality Management Plans for comment.
Members of the public are invited to submit written comments within 30 days from the date of the publication of this notice (i.e before 17 April 2023).
The publication of these regulations is a central issue in the #DeadlyAir litigation – for more on this matter, see our latest update.
According to the Gazette, these Regulations set out the requirements necessary for implementing and enforcing any approved priority area Air Quality Management Plans. The Regulations will provide for mandatory implementation of interventions; mechanisms for government to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the plans; transitional arrangements as well as the activation of enforcement measures where non-compliance is identified. They apply to all key stakeholders identified to be significant contributors to poor air quality in the respective air quality management plans, including listed activities; controlled emitters; mining operations and government stakeholders.