EPA News

• Mick moves on
  Facing the challenge of a changing environment

• News briefs
• Brooklyn odour investigation
• Call for exhibitors for 2009 HazWaste expo
• Smart regulation for hazardous waste
• Call for funding applications from community groups
• Funding for Desert Fringe asbestos program
• EPA Publications
  
  

Mick moves on
Facing the challenge of a changing environment

Mick Bourke

Mick Bourke would have you believe that he wasn’t responsible for change; that it was his staff. He’s only partially right.

Many things have happened in his seven years at the helm of EPA Victoria. In that time the world’s second oldest environment protection body has evolved to one that has made itself relevant to its clients and stakeholders without losing its regulatory role.

His organisation achieved the highest ever court based penalty - $1 million for an oil spill at Cape Woolamai in 2003.

But he’s done more than that. Programs like Grow Me the Money and the Environment and Resource Efficiency Plans have created an environment where industry has come along on the journey.

“In the dark old days 90 percent of industry were doing the wrong thing and 10 percent were doing it right. We’ve got the reverse of that these days.

“Today, 10 percent fail to acknowledge they’re doing it wrong. That’s why we need to keep enforcement capabilities, but also provide an avenue for those who want to make environmental advances.

“We created a platform of mutual benefit. It was good for the environment and good for business and industry has responded openly to that.

“EPA has kept its enforcement capabilities but beefed up its ability to meet the environmental threats of the future. That was a changing point – the majority of the organisation was looking for change and readily embraced it.”

His biggest challenge was adapting the organisation to address the threats of a changing environment.

As he looks back over the seven years he thinks we could have ‘cracked harder change earlier, but it took us a while to be at the point of making change’.

“Like all things it takes time.”

He got sucked into EPA and the people, who he sees as his greatest achievement.

“We should be proud of the organisation that everyone has helped to build. We know our clients, we embrace change for the better, we know what we have to deliver and how; and most of all, why it’s important.

“We’ve had our challenges and we’ve come through those, we are an organisation who has had a number of world firsts that have lead to better outcomes for the environment.

“I want people to be proud of what we have achieved.”

While most of his time has been spent adapting the organisation, there are some disappointments he can’t get past.

“Cranbourne and its impacts on the Brookland Greens Estate disappoint me a great deal.

“We saw environmental damage in a community that may well have been controllable. However, out of that adversity which challenged us organisationally, our people stood up and everyone contributed to the management of that event. A lot of people grew from that event.”

Thanks to his involvement, EPA is seen as a Victorian-wide entity, meeting the needs of Victorians.

Walk down any street in any regional centre with Mick and it’ll take you twice as long as it should. Everyone stops to ask him what’s happening, how things are going, undoubtedly a mark of the man.

That’s something he’ll miss - the access to people in all walks of life that the role of chairman afforded him.

Able to think quickly on his feet, with a dry, wry wit, Mick has spent many days over the years putting out spot fires which should stand him in good stead for his next role as CEO at the Country Fire Authority. A challenge he’s looking forward to.

While EPA’s loss is CFA’s gain, he sees it as a partial continuation of what he’s been doing for the last seven years and he’ll be facing the challenges head on.

“With climate change we (Victoria) are the canary in the cage for the warming and drying components. Bushfires and the damage to natural assets are what can occur as a result.”

As he wanders around the building on his last days he stops to reminisce with people, shoot the breeze like the country boy he is. These days are spent pretty much like his first, although this time instead of saying hello to people he’s saying goodbye.

Top