ACTIn ForceAct
Environment Protection Act 1997
91QDirector of body corporate that disposed of land
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 91Q
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Environment Protection Act 1997.
91Q Director of body corporate that disposed of land
(1) The Supreme Court may order a person to comply with an assessment
order or remediation order at the person’s own expense if—
management of, a body corporate that transferred land within
2 years before the court’s order is made; and
(b) the transferee has failed to comply with the assessment order or
remediation order in relation to the land.
(2) The person must comply with the assessment order or remediation
order, subject to any modification by the Supreme Court.
(3) The Supreme Court may make an order under this section only if
satisfied, on an application by the authority that—
management of, the body corporate at the time of the transfer of
the land or at the time when the assessment order or remediation
order was made in relation to the transferee; and
(b) there is reason to believe that the body corporate transferred the
land as part of a scheme to avoid having itself to carry out
assessment or remediation of the land (whether or not an
assessment order or remediation order had been made in relation
to the body corporate).
(4) There is reason for belief of the kind mentioned in subsection (3) (b)
if, at the time or times when the body corporate entered into 1 or more
transactions, or a substantial part of the transactions, for the transfer
of the land—
(a) there was reason to believe that the land was contaminated; and
(b) the transferee was another body corporate that was related to the
first body corporate (within the meaning of the Corporations
Act); and
(c) the first body corporate had reason to believe that the transferee
was unable to pay its debts or would, if it took steps to remediate
the land (to the extent that a reasonable person would have
expected, at the time or times, would be necessary), become
unable to pay its debts.
(5) The Supreme Court must not make an order under this section if the
person against whom the order would be made satisfies the court
(a) the person exercised due diligence to prevent the body corporate
from avoiding compliance with the assessment order or
(b) the person could not reasonably have been expected to be aware
of a scheme to avoid compliance with the assessment order or
(c) the person was not in a position to influence the conduct of the
body corporate in relation to that scheme.
(6) The fact that the relevant order was partially complied with by the
transferee does not exclude the possibility that there is reason to form
the belief mentioned in subsection (3).