Articles

The Environmental Legislation Amendment Act 2025 introduces extended noise abatement timeframes, expanded enforcement powers and new sentencing considerations under the POEO Act, reshaping how noise compliance is managed in NSW. These changes heighten the need for robust monitoring, defensible records and proactive noise management by regulated organisations.

DETSI has released new Environmental Authority conditions for critical minerals projects including a requirement to install meteorological stations in line with BoM siting guidelines. These differ in detail from the AS/NZS 3580.14 standard for air quality monitoring, highlighting the need for comparison and careful interpretation when planning meteorological monitoring for air quality assessments.

Animal noise, particularly dog barking, is a common source of community complaints and regulatory action. This article explores how AI-based noise classification improves the accuracy, efficiency and defensibility of animal noise monitoring and compliance assessments.

Transport for NSW released two updated documents in April 2025: the Road Noise Criteria Guideline and the Road Noise Mitigation Guideline. The criteria guideline supersedes Practice Notes I and III of the 2001 Environmental Noise Management Manual, and the Mitigation Guideline supersedes RMS 14.584 and Practice Notes (iv), (iv-a) and (iv-c).

Early engagement with an air quality consultant can save time and costs by helping identify potential issues before they affect project design or schedules. The success of an assessment depends not only on technical expertise but also on careful planning and coordination.

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has announced an evaluation under Section 74 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 covering 522 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC).