It seems July 1 2012 is going to be a momentous day for industry and households alike, with both the Mining Tax (recently passed through the Senate on 19 March 2012) and the Carbon Tax to come into effect. There has been much commentary in the media on how this will impact Australians, however, it [...]

We might not give a second thought to the sight of weeds along a waterway, however, chances are, those plants are affecting our lives in some way.  While it’s commonly known that weeds have a significant impact on the environment, weeds can also impact on the money in your pocket, your work environment, your health [...]

Do you have a project in the pipeline where environmental impacts are unavoidable?  If so, you may be required to offset the damage under the State Governments new Biodiversity Offset Policy. The policy, which came into force on 3 October 2011, has been designed to ensure development occurs with no net loss of biodiversity.  Where [...]

The population of Queensland has grown substantially in recent times and at the same time mining exploration activities have been increasing.  As the buffer between the urban areas and exploration activities decreases, communities and local government are becoming increasingly concerned about exploration activities close to urban areas.  As a result, in August 2011, the Queensland [...]

We all know about Clean-Up Australia Day but have you heard of the new national Clean-Up day for Mackay? The Mackay Regional Council has just announced it will no longer participate in the annual Clean- Up Australia Day event held in March.  Instead, it will now champion the annual Great Northern Clean-Up Day which is [...]

Many people find that an encounter with some of our unique native wildlife is a very exciting and exhilarating experience.  While many people want to get as close as possible to an animal, it is important not to disturb them.  This is most important when they are nesting or feeding their young. Queensland provides the [...]

Competing land uses have become a highly publicised issue in recent months, with the age old agriculture verses mining debate continuing.  The expansion of residential estates into traditionally agricultural areas and new industries such as coal seam gas have left many concerned about the loss of highly productive agricultural land. In response, the Department of [...]

The recent long weekends presented a fantastic opportunity for locals to visit the great outdoors.  If you’re looking at camping at a national park, state forest, recreation area or forest reserve, there are a number of legal requirements which must be observed.   Places such as national parks and state forests require you to have a [...]

During 2011, the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) implemented a temporary State Planning Policy (Protecting Wetlands of High Ecological Significance in Great Barrier Reef Catchments) to protect coastal wetlands from inappropriate development.  This temporary policy is due to expire in May this year and a permanent policy with the same name has been [...]