Hi, I'm Joss Crawford, CEO of EPA Victoria. I'm pleased to share our annual delivery plan for 2026-27.
The plan sets out our priorities and how we will prevent harm, protect communities and the environment, and strengthen Victoria's circular economy.
This year we're cracking down on illegal waste dumping. We know illegal dumping criminals are hurting communities and the environment, so we will deliver more boots on the ground, new detection and surveillance technology and hotspot inspection programs. We will name and shame offenders and ramp-up our enforcement.
As custodians of Victoria's circular economy and waste system, we will plan for Victoria's future waste and recycling needs and oversee the container deposit scheme to reduce waste and give real benefit back to community.
We will take action to reduce the impacts of noise, odour and air pollution. We'll trial acoustic cameras to identify human drivers and run targeted inspections to reduce odour impacts from high-risk industries in Melbourne's west.
We'll inspect problem landfills to ensure they meet today's standards, and we'll publicly report on air quality and respond to issues to keep community informed and healthy.
We will also keep pace with the rapid growth of data centres and ensure operators meet their environmental obligations.
Fires at waste resource recovery and industrial sites are never acceptable, so we'll inspect sites with chemicals, batteries or other dangerous materials to make sure risks are managed.
We'll also develop clear guidance on high-risk materials such as lithium-ion batteries so that there's no ambiguity about what's acceptable.
We are committed to reducing the regulatory burden on industry and supporting safe innovation. We're going to make it easier for developers to work with EPA through our land development portal. We're supporting the safe cleanup of contaminated sites and will progress work to establish a Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation.
This will support safe innovation and provide industry with certainty sooner. Our plan is about focusing our effort where it makes the biggest difference. Our goal is to prevent harm to communities and the environment. Please visit us online to find out more.
Thank you.
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