PCE submission on the Regulatory Standards Bill

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has made a submission to the Finance and Expenditure Committee on the Regulatory Standards Bill, which builds on a previous submission he made on a consultation document.

The submission reiterates his argument that the proposed regulatory principles do not provide guidance on how to manage publicly owned or managed resources, or how to balance them against private property rights.

The Commissioner argues that without qualification, current provisions could be interpreted to mean that regulations cannot prevent people from polluting or damaging property in public or common ownership.