- Published:
- Friday 31 October 2025 at 4:26 pm
The company, 111 762 362 Pty Ltd, was convicted and fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $4,999.50 in costs. The sole Director was fined $3,000 without conviction and ordered to pay $4,999.50 in costs.
The charges against both related to their failure to comply with official notices from EPA Victoria, issued after an inspection of the petrol station at 318 Wellington St, Collingwood, in 2022.
EPA told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the activities at the site have caused petroleum hydrocarbon contamination of groundwater and soil beneath the premises. The official notices required the business to:
- Have a contractor conduct sampling of soil vapour and groundwater and review any change in the risk profile for the premises and adjacent premises, and
- Provide a detailed report to EPA, with recommendations for any further assessment, clean-up and remedial actions required.
The company failed to comply, even though an independent site investigation required under a previous EPA notice had already reported “contamination caused by the current and historical land uses of the site is considered likely to be moving off-site…”.
EPA told the court the company had also failed to comply with an official notice requiring it to provide, if any exists, the most recent data and certification from maintenance and equipment integrity testing conducted on underground fuel tanks and associated fuel lines at the premises.
The court heard the company is responsible for integrity testing of tanks and fuel lines at the premises as part of its tenancy agreement.
By the completion of the court case, the Director and company had complied with all but one of the EPA notice requirements and were expected to complete compliance with the final requirement.
Her Honour Magistrate Broughton also ordered that the company publish details of their offending and the court-imposed penalties in local media.
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