Enforcement Response Guidelines

Summary

The Plantations Regulation Unit (the PR Unit) is a risk-based regulator that responds to alleged breaches under the Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999 (the Act) and the Plantations and Reafforestation (Code) Regulation 2001 (the Code). The PR Unit applies appropriate and proportionate enforcement responses, relating to its compliance activities, using sound decision-making processes.

The purpose of any enforcement response is to prevent further offending, either personally, in the case of an individual entity, or generally, in the case of other industry stakeholders and encourage future voluntary compliance. Enforcement often results in a financial penalty of some sort, for example, a monetary fine or the additional costs imposed by remediation works. An enforcement response aims to correct a lack of knowledge, poor or inadequate business practices, reduce economic drivers (that is, it's cheaper to not comply with the rules)

This Guideline features that decision-making process and has been developed to deliver transparency and accountability and provide clarity and confidence to stakeholders.