What better way to start off a brand new year than to welcome Larissa Willoughby to the AEA team! Larissa brings diversity, virtuosity, authenticity and a whole lot of respect as she joins us as an Environmental Auditor in our South Australian office. Those who have worked with Larissa know that she is driven and outcome-focused. Everyone who knows Larissa is pleased to work with her and that’s a credit to her genuine enthusiasm to help clients. She has a good grasp on what is reasonable for both the client and their end-goal together with the most up-to-date SA legislation and guidelines. Larissa brings over 25 years of extensive professional experience incorporating environmental auditing in contaminated land and compliance, environmental site assessment and project management, and regulatory liaison. If you are looking for someone who is approachable, organised, efficient and accomplished then Larissa is your solution. You can get in touch with Larissa here.
Shandel is officially a DWER accredited Contaminated Sites Auditor in WA! She has persisted, worked so hard and endured the stress and pressure to achieve this well-earned career goal. This is a huge highlight for Shandel and the AEA team are proud of her achievement. Congratulations!
Nine tips for developers to consider to help minimise liability and manage unknowns: Choosing the right consultant and auditor can “make or break” your project. If you get an audit quote for as little as $10k, expect variations. This can blow-out, so make sure you carefully evaluate the scope of the audit that has been costed. Audit the auditor. If an audit has been triggered, ask for similar case studies from the auditor and examples of where they have assisted the client and provided timely pragmatic advice. Be prepared if your design plans have to change to suit environmental requirements. Site investigations and results may take a while; the sooner you start testing the more the likelihood to meet your project timeline. Don’t delay the inevitable. Engage the auditor before you start site assessments to avoid unnecessary re-testing. Choose an auditor who has a good working relationship with the consultant as this will reduce time and interaction issues between them. Factor in a contingency cost for unforeseen environmental issues. A “just in case” fund. Don’t get stuck in the “it won’t affect me” bubble. We have seen this many times. It’s smart to conduct due diligence before purchasing the site, no matter what.
Congratulations to Shandel Coleman for becoming an auditor in Queensland! This is a huge milestone to your professional career and a huge asset to our team at AEA. Well done and well deserved!
On behalf of the whole team at AEA we want to congratulate Kevin Masterton for becoming an auditor in Queensland! Your persistence and hard work has created a huge success for you. Well done Kev!
Nick is an experienced Environmental Auditor and has recently joined our team. He is appointed in VIC and WA and has been involved in the contaminated sites industry around the world for more than 32 years. Complementing his environmental consulting and auditing skills, Nick has also worked in the military (soil and terrain evaluation) and mining sectors, and has some extraordinary stories to share. Nick has a wealth of experience in hydrogeology assessments, soil mapping, water wellfield development, and rural water supply schemes for remote communities throughout Southern Africa. Nick enjoys remote high altitude trekking in Nepal and Africa with his wife. He has also been part of Melbourne Oxfam Trailwalker (100km event) for several years. Drop Nick a line or send him an email to talk through your projects.
EPA Victoria have been working with DELWP on a searchable contaminated land database called Victoria Unearthed. This new online tool, launched on Thursday 14th of March, will help Victorians identify and investigate the quality of land and groundwater on their properties. Victoria Unearthed includes data about land and groundwater that’s been brought together in the one place for the first time, delivering new levels of transparency for information relating to past land use. This a great tool for our property development clients prior to purchasing properties. If your property has an Environmental Audit Overlay (EAO), one of our auditors would be pleased to chat about this planning restriction and how to tackle it.