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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL ACT 1994 - SECT 53 Offence of causing environmental nuisance

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL ACT 1994 - SECT 53

Offence of causing environmental nuisance

(1)  A person who wilfully and unlawfully causes an environmental nuisance is guilty of an offence.
Penalty:  Fine not exceeding 300 penalty units.
(2)  A person who unlawfully causes an environmental nuisance is guilty of an offence.
Penalty:  Fine not exceeding 100 penalty units.
(3)  Where an offence under subsection (1) or (2) is constituted by the emission of noise that is not an emission specified in an environment protection policy to be an environmental nuisance, the emission is to be taken to unreasonably interfere with a person's enjoyment of the environment if it is unreasonable having regard to –
(a) its volume, intensity or duration; and
(b) the time, place and other circumstances in which it is emitted; and
(c) in the case of noise emitted from residential premises, whether it is, or is likely to be, audible in a habitable room in any other residential premises.
(4)  If in proceedings for an offence against subsection (1) the court is not satisfied that the defendant is guilty of the offence charged but is satisfied that the defendant is guilty of an offence against subsection (2) , the court may find the defendant guilty of the latter offence.
(5)  Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to the following:
(a) conduct that is an offence against section 50 or 51 ;
(b) noise that –
(i) is emitted from or by a primary industry activity, within the meaning of the Primary Industry Activities Protection Act 1995 ; and
(ii) by reason of section 4 of that Act, does not constitute a nuisance within the meaning of that Act.
(6)  In this section –
habitable room means any room other than a storage area, bathroom, laundry, toilet or pantry;
residential premises means any building or part of a building lawfully used as, or for the purposes of, a residence and includes any land within the boundaries of the block of land on which the building is situated.