Western Australian Consolidated Acts

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1986 - SECT 40

40 .         Assessing referred proposals

        (1)         This section and section 40A apply if the Authority assesses a proposal.

        (2)         The Authority may, for the purposes of assessing a proposal —

            (a)         require any person to provide it with such information as is specified in that requirement; or

            (aa)         require the proponent to provide to the Authority a contaminated sites auditor’s report on the proposal, which complies with any relevant regulations made under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 ; or

            (b)         require the proponent to undertake an environmental review and to report thereon to the Authority; or

            (c)         with the approval of the Minister and subject to section 42, conduct a public inquiry in such manner as it sees fit or appoint a committee consisting of —

                  (i)         Authority members; or

                  (ii)         Authority members and persons other than Authority members; or

                  (iii)         persons other than Authority members,

                to conduct a public inquiry and report to the Authority on its findings on the public inquiry.

        (2a)         As well as taking one or more of the courses of action set out in subsection (2)(a) to (c), the Authority may make such other investigations and inquiries as it thinks fit.

        (3)         Subject to any direction made under section 43, the Authority shall determine the form, content, timing and procedure of any environmental review required to be undertaken under subsection (2)(b).

        (4)         Subject to any direction made under section 43 and to subsection (5), the Authority may cause —

            (a)         any information or report provided in compliance with a requirement made under subsection (2)(a) or (aa); or

            (b)         any report made in compliance with a requirement made under subsection (2)(b),

                to be made available for public review and shall, if it does so, determine the period within which, the extent to which and the manner in which public authorities or persons may make submissions to the Authority in respect of that information or report.

        (5)         If any information relating to a manufacturing process or trade secret used in carrying on or operating any particular undertaking or equipment (in this subsection called the confidential information ) is contained in —

            (a)         any information referred to in subsection (4)(a); or

            (b)         any report referred to in subsection (4)(b),

                the Authority shall before causing the information referred to in paragraph (a) or the report referred to in paragraph (b) to be made available for public review under subsection (4) exclude the confidential information from that information or report.

        (6)         When the Authority causes any information or report to be made available for public review under subsection (4) —

            (a)         the proponent must —

                  (i)         at the proponent’s own expense and to the satisfaction of the Authority, make copies of that information or report and advertise its availability for public review; and

                  (ii)         provide copies of that information or report free of charge to such public authorities and persons, at such places and times as the Authority determines; and

                  (iii)         provide copies of that information or report to members of the public at such places and times, and at a price not exceeding such maximum price, as the Authority determines;

                and

            (b)         the Authority may require the proponent to respond to any submissions made to the Authority in respect of that information or report in such manner as the Authority thinks fit.

        (7)         A committee appointed under subsection (2)(c) shall —

            (a)         conduct a public inquiry in respect of the proposal concerned; and

            (b)         after holding the public inquiry referred to in paragraph (a), report to the Authority on its findings on that public inquiry.

        (8)         The chairman and other members of a committee appointed under subsection (2)(c) shall each of them be paid such remuneration and travelling and other allowances as the Authority on the recommendation of the Public Sector Commissioner determines in his case.

        (9)         A proponent or other person upon whom a requirement is imposed under subsection (2)(a), (aa) or (b) or (6)(b) has to comply with that requirement.

        [Section 40 amended by No. 57 of 1997 s. 54(2); No. 14 of 1998 s. 37; No. 54 of 2003 s. 9; No. 60 of 2003 s. 100 (as amended by No. 40 of 2005 s. 13(2) and (3)); No. 39 of 2010 s. 89.]