A Sunshine Coast water bore drilling company owner pleaded guilty to 17 breaches of the Water Act 2000 and has been fined $30,000 plus legal costs in the Queensland Magistrates Court today; no conviction was recorded.
The Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers investigated the drill company owner after a tip-off from the community.
The department’s investigation found that the drill company owner directed employees, who he knew were not licensed to drill water bores in Queensland, to drill 11 water bores for his company. The investigation also found that the drill company owner provided false and misleading information to the department to conceal the unlawful water bore drilling activities.
The drill company owner, as a licensed driller himself, signed drill logs supplied to the department indicating he was the supervising driller onsite. The investigation found this was not the case and, when questioned, the drill company owner made immediate admissions to his wrongdoing.
Other mitigating factors in the low fine amount were that the bores, to the extent able to be determined by the department, appeared to be drilled to the standard required and the drill company owner was active in the community through a number of charitable endeavours.
LGWV Executive Director Bernadette McNevin said the drill company owner, as a licensed driller, would have known he was breaking the law by directing his employees to drill while not being supervised by a licensed driller.
“Our investigation found the drill company owner had his employees construct many bores in southeast Queensland.
“He showed insufficient regard for the requirements to have a qualified and licensed driller supervise the construction activities to ensure consumers get a bore constructed to the appropriate standard and continued sustainable access to the state’s underground water resources,” Ms McNevin said.
The Water Act 2000 allows water bores to be constructed only by a licensed driller, or by an unlicenced driller who is constantly supervised by a licensed driller.
Queensland is part of a national uniform licensing system for water bore drillers. This helps protect groundwater resources by ensuring all drillers are properly trained, qualified and skilled and can meet mandatory construction standards.
The department regulates Queensland’s water bore drilling industry through a licensing system and licensed drillers are required to provide drill logs to the department.
“Drill logs provided to the department in this instance were false in that the drill company owner was not supervising the drilling activities at all, even though he signed and provided drill logs to the department indicating that was the case.
“The department relies on the integrity of our drilling industry to do the right thing. There are rules in place for drilling activities and training our future drillers,” Ms McNevin said.
“The drill company owner’s actions have breached this trust,” Ms McNevin said.
“The department’s balanced, yet robust, regulatory approach is to educate, guide and inform the regulated community to achieve compliance.
“When serious breaches like this occur, the department has a range of options at its disposal to deal with serious non-compliance and we will act when it is appropriate and proportionate to do so.
“We will continue to support those doing the right thing by addressing those who don’t,” Ms McNevin said.
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MEDIA: media@dlgwv.qld.gov.au
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