EPA Victoria has fined a Traralgon hotel more than $9,000 over excessively loud music, after the pub’s management failed to comply with EPA’s instructions and months of public complaints.
Hotel Traralgon, locally known as Ryan’s Hotel, has been fined $9,087 after EPA officers gave advice on how to comply, conducted repeated inspections, then resorted to issuing an official notice and using electronic surveillance.
EPA Victoria Gippsland Regional Manager Jessica Bandiera says the pub’s management had plenty of opportunity to avoid a fine.
“It started last December when we gave Ryan’s Hotel advice on how to comply with the law, then we issued the pub with an official Improvement Notice in February this year,” Ms Bandiera said.
The Improvement Notice instructed the pub to immediately reduce the volume of noise leaving the premises, and to engage an expert consultant to investigate and produce a report proposing methods to resolve the problem.
“In May, loud music from the pub was still affecting members of the public outside the premises, and EPA officers stationed monitoring equipment nearby that logged the excessive levels of noise,” Ms Bandiera said.
“Inspections after midnight on two Saturday nights confirmed the excessive noise being logged was coming from Ryan’s Hotel,” she said.
“Officially, the fine is for failing to comply with an official notice, but it all gets back to excessive noise affecting the community.”
“The hotel failed to heed complaints from the public, failed to follow EPA’s advice on how to comply, failed to comply with an official notice, and failed to reduce the level of noise leaving the premises,” Ms Bandiera said.
Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the Infringements Act 2006, the operator has the right to have the infringement notice reviewed or be considered by a court.
Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24 hour hotline on 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842) or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
Hotel Traralgon, locally known as Ryan’s Hotel, has been fined $9,087 after EPA officers gave advice on how to comply, conducted repeated inspections, then resorted to issuing an official notice and using electronic surveillance.
EPA Victoria Gippsland Regional Manager Jessica Bandiera says the pub’s management had plenty of opportunity to avoid a fine.
“It started last December when we gave Ryan’s Hotel advice on how to comply with the law, then we issued the pub with an official Improvement Notice in February this year,” Ms Bandiera said.
The Improvement Notice instructed the pub to immediately reduce the volume of noise leaving the premises, and to engage an expert consultant to investigate and produce a report proposing methods to resolve the problem.
“In May, loud music from the pub was still affecting members of the public outside the premises, and EPA officers stationed monitoring equipment nearby that logged the excessive levels of noise,” Ms Bandiera said.
“Inspections after midnight on two Saturday nights confirmed the excessive noise being logged was coming from Ryan’s Hotel,” she said.
“Officially, the fine is for failing to comply with an official notice, but it all gets back to excessive noise affecting the community.”
“The hotel failed to heed complaints from the public, failed to follow EPA’s advice on how to comply, failed to comply with an official notice, and failed to reduce the level of noise leaving the premises,” Ms Bandiera said.
Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 and the Infringements Act 2006, the operator has the right to have the infringement notice reviewed or be considered by a court.
Members of the public can report pollution by calling EPA’s 24 hour hotline on 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842) or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
Reviewed 13 July 2022
