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CANBERRA will announce tough new penalties for shipping companies guilty of polluting water if Labor is re-elected. The companies would face fines of up to $10 million and prison terms of up to 10 years Transport Minister Anthony Albanese will unveil measures to toughen the maritime laws, increasing fines from $275,000 to $10m for businesses found to have discharged oil into the sea.
The plan would also create an offense of negligent navigation if ships were operated in a way that could pollute the marine environment.
This offense would carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison for individuals and $2.2m fines, as well as $5.5m fines for companies. The measures would be accompanied by amendments to the government's central piece of environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999.
The legislation has been reviewed by former senior public servant and diplomat Allan Hawke, and the amendments would be included in the government's response to that.
The review, commissioned by the government, also proposes a "greenhouse trigger" requiring the Environment Minister's approval for projects that would produce more than 50,000 tonnes of carbon.
That plan originated in a private member's bill Mr Albanese moved when Labor was in opposition. Australia depends on seaborne trade for imports and exports, with more than 4000 cargo vessels navigating its waters annually.
Complete story at:
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=116056&Itemid=79
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