101. Tim Eaton (EPA)- Regulators mount up_PX

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Tim Eaton, Executive Director of Regulatory Standards, Assessments & Permissioning at the State of Victoria's Environmental Protection Authority is interviewed about current issues. These are many. In recent times, environmental issues have been constantly in the headlines, with a recycling crisis, chemical warehouse fires, distrust of government agencies and the general concern at the impacts of a rapidly expanding population. Tim speaks of the need of the EPA to have resolve and be seen primarily as a regulator. There is also the need to provide guidance and in some cases education to local authorities, industry, planning decisions makers and the general community. The EPA has been in existence nearly 50 years (commenced operations on 1 July 1971) and in this time there have been massive improvements in air quality, water quality and general amenity levels (ie. noise, odour etc). Tim speaks to the new environemnt provisions currently up for debate which some see as being too vague, broad and onerous (the burden of proof test, vague definitions about wellbeing including mental well being etc). Tim makes the case that these provisions suit the times. In the interview issues such as 'nocebo' are discussed, that being the stress caused by thinking of potential health issues. In a world where bad news headlines fill the community with dread, it is worth recognising the great environmental standards now achieved in first world nations and the expectation that these standards should be enjoyed by all on the planet. The interview throws up interesting facts such as there are 20,000 littering reports made by the general public to the EPA each year. Or that one hundred years ago, 1 in 4 deaths in the USA were attributed to contaminated water. The interview was recorded in front of a live audience (a first for PX) at the VPELA Conference held in Lorne late August 2019. Our thanks to VPELA for the invitation. For more details about PlanningxChange podcasts go to www.planningxchange.org. Interview released 16 October 2019.