Blue Mountains City Council v Carlon [2008] NSWLEC 296

Land and Environment Court of New South Wales

CITATION : Blue Mountains City Council v Carlon [2008] NSWLEC 296

PROSECUTOR: Blue Mountains City Council PARTIES : DEFENDANT: Luke Carlon

FILE NUMBER(S) : 50047 of 2008

CORAM: Biscoe J

KEY ISSUES: Prosecution :- appropriate penalty - offender pleaded guilty to offence of clearing trees and vegetation from land without first obtaining development consent - offender engaged by landowner to clean up land using a bulldozer, which necessitated clearing trees and vegetation - offender believed from conversation with landowner that council had approved what landowner instructed him to do - objective and subjective sentencing considerations - limited means of offender - whether an order should be made discharging offender on condition that he enter into a good behaviour bond for a term not exceeding 2 years - whether offender should be convicted without any other penalty.

Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 1991 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), ss 3A, 5(a)(ii), 5(c), 10, 10A, 21A, 22(1), 23(1) LEGISLATION CITED: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW), ss 76A, 125, 126, 127A Fines Act 1996 (NSW), s 6 Native Vegetation Conservation Act 1997 Sydney Regional Environmental Plan No 20 – Hawkesbury-Nepean River (No 2 - 1997), cl 11(3)

Attorney General's Application (No 3 of 2002) (2004) 61 NSWLR 305 Bentley v BGP Properties Pty Ltd (2006) 145 LGERA 234 Cameron v Eurobodalla Shire Council (2006) 146 LGERA 349 Cameron v The Queen (2002) 209 CLR 339 Camilleri's Stock Feeds Pty Ltd v Environment Protection Authority (1993) 32 NSWLR 683 Caralis v Smyth (1988) 34 A Crim R 193, 65 LGRA 303 Chin v Ryde City Council (2004) 133 LGERA 312 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Said Khodor El Karhani (1990) 21 NSWLR 370 Director-General of the Department of Environment and Climate Change v Taylor [2007] NSWLEC 530 Environment Protection Authority v Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd [2008] NSWLEC 280 Environment Protection Authority v Barnes [2006] NSWCCA 246 Environment Protection Authority v Lithgow City Council [2007] NSWLEC 695 Environment Protection Authority v Snowy Hydro Ltd [2008] NSWLEC 264 Hardt v Environment Protection Authority (2007) 156 LGERA 337 Hornsby Shire Council v Devaney [2007] NSWLEC 199 CASES CITED: McDonagh (on behalf of Great Lakes Council) v Birdon Dredging P/L (1998) 99 LGERA 198 Markarian v The Queen (2005) 228 CLR 357 Mosman Municipal Council v Menai Excavations Pty Ltd (2002) 122 LGERA 89 R v Carroll [2008] NSWCCA 218 R v KNL (2005) 154 A Crim R 268 R v McNaughton (2006) 66 NSWLR 566 R v MA (2004) 145 A Crim R 434 R v Mungomery (2004) 151 A Crim R 376 R v Paris [2001] NSWCCA 83 R v Piccin (No 2) [2001] NSWCCA 323 R v Thomson; R v Houlton (2000) 49 NSWLR 383 R v Whyte (2002) 55 NSWLR 252 R v Rahme (1989) 43 A Crim R 81 Thorneloe v Filipowski (2001) 52 NSWLR 60 Veen v The Queen (1979) 143 CLR 458 Veen v The Queen [No 2] (1988) 164 CLR 465 Walden v Hensler (1987) 163 CLR 561