Cement Concrete Aggregates Australia (CCAA), the Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) and the Queensland Government jointly hosted the first Environmental Management Seminar on 8 September in Brisbane.
The event, which was attended by about 120 people, kicked off with an opening address from the Queensland Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Dr Steven Miles before launching into a program of presentations delivered by environmental experts, regulators, legal professionals and local quarry operators.
{{image2-a:r-w:200}}CCAA’s state director for Queensland Aaron Johnstone said the event gave attendees a chance to reflect on environmental management on a broad global scale as well as on practical issues such as sediment control and water management.
“The support and involvement of the state’s environmental regulator – the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP) – was also terrific,” he added. “Not only did operators get to hear first-hand about what the regulator was going to focus on in the next 12 to 18 months, but the DEHP attendees also gained a greater understanding about the issues of the construction materials industry.”
Johnstone explained that DEHP staff had indicated during the seminar that the regulator was keen to work collaboratively with quarry operators to help ensure compliance with environmental conditions, but that it was not afraid to use its “enforcement powers” where necessary.
Good stories
Johnstone added that the industry had made great improvements in environmental management, encouraging industry members to share the sector’s “good environmental story” with stakeholders and local communities. However, he stressed that “more improvement can still be made”.
Overall, Johnstone said the seminar exceeded the organisers’ expectations, with Groundwork Plus’ Clayton Hill – speaking on behalf of the IQA – stating that attendee feedback had been “very positive”.
“People liked the interactive sessions, industry case studies and innovations, directions from the regulator, and seeing what other people were doing in the industry, so we expect this will remain a key focus for the event [going forward],” Hill commented, adding that the format for the next event would likely mirror this year’s.
While it was confirmed that the Environmental Management Seminar would run again in 2016, at the time of publication, further details were still to be announced.
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Industry event to hone in on environmental issues