Huge penalty for Blue Whale Farm Plantation illegal clearing at Scott River near Margaret River

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River’s prosecution related to a huge illegal clearing in Scott River has resulted in a steep penalty for the offending company.

Land equivalent to nine times the playing space of Optus Stadium was devastated by Blue Whale Farm Plantation Pty Ltd, with the affected territory including rare and endangered flora.

In June, a magistrate ruled in favour of the shire, confirming the plantation operators did not seek approvals before undertaking the work in 2022.

This week in sentencing, the magistrate issued a $141,000 fine which was ordered to be paid to the local government as restitution.

Shire president Julia Meldrum said she was disappointed the fine wasn’t more significant.

However, she believed the prosecution demonstrated the shire’s ongoing commitment to protecting the environment.

“There are no winners when it comes to the destruction of the environment, and no amount of money was ever going to change what has happened,” Ms Meldrum said.

“But we needed to pursue this prosecution as a matter of principle because protecting our region’s biodiversity is important to our community, and our natural environment is what makes Augusta-Margaret River so special.

“We know the community will be supportive of our decision to enforce these rules, especially given people flouting the rules caused devastating environmental destruction of rare flora.”

The shire president said the ruling reinforced the fact all property owners had to follow the rules and regulations before starting any land development.

“One of the ways the shire works to protect the environment is through our development approval processes,” Ms Meldrum said.

“Landowners need to ensure they have secured the correct approvals before commencing any work on any property in the shire.”

The costly penalty would offset the legal costs of bringing the matter to trial, she said.

The illegal work was undertaken in four separate lots.

The unauthorised development off Milyeannup Coast Road also affected native bush containing the rare and endangered floral species Lambertia orbifolia.

Blue Whale Farm Plantation was unavailable for comment.