Notices of contravention
A notice of contravention formally advises the recipient that they are contravening a legal requirement and applies a daily penalty. A notice of contravention will be issued where there is a major ongoing contravention and further enforcement action is planned. The issue of a notice of contravention indicates that EPA considers any further breach a serious offence. The recipient of a notice of contravention becomes liable when they are prosecuted to substantial daily penalties for every additional day the contravention continues. The additional daily penalty may result in the matter being prosecuted in a higher court.
All notices of contravention will trigger:
- a review of alternative avenues to prevent further non-compliance or harm, such as licence/permit suspension, notices to stop activities, or a statutory injunction
- active surveillance and monitoring of the site to determine whether impact or harm has been lessened, whether remedial action has been initiated by the offender, and to collect evidence for any future prosecution.
Read more about Notices of contravention in the Compliance and Enforcement Policy 
(PDF 1.18MB)