The State Government’s current penalties for illegal tree removal are woeful at best. $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for corporations – it’s more of a fee than a fine.
Likewise illegal tree poisoning is difficult to prosecute because we don’t have photographic evidence catching the offender in the act.
In November 2023, Ku-ring-gai lobbied Local Government NSW to advocate for increases to these penalties as well as request a review of the requirements for prosecuting illegal tree removal.
Yesterday the State Government responded with a proposal for increased penalties. The base fine for individuals remains unchanged at $3,000 while for corporations it is increased to $9,000. There are also higher penalties for larger or more significant trees with individuals at $6,000 and corporations at $18,000, and these penalties also apply on a per tree (rather than per incident) basis.
Also proposed is a strengthening of measures for landowners to replace illegally cleared trees (which we already do in Ku-ring-gai), and a general discussion on what role technology has to play in monitoring illegal tree activity. The proposal does, however, not go so far as to say that we can prosecute landowners without sufficient evidence.
What are your thoughts on this? Do these changes go far enough? Check out the State proposal (linked below) and tell them your thoughts by 4th June.
