Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

NATURE CONSERVATION ACT 2014 - SECT 140

    (1)     A person commits an offence if—

        (a)     the person takes a plant; and

        (b)     the plant is—

              (i)     a native plant; and

              (ii)     on unleased land.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units.

Note     Take —see s 126.

    (2)     This section does not apply to a person if—

        (a)     the person is a public servant exercising a function as a public servant; or

        (b)     the person is authorised to take the plant under a development approval under the Planning Act 2023

, chapter 7; or

        (c)     the person only takes seeds from the plant for domestic use; or

        (d)     an exception under the Urban Forest Act 2023

, section 18 (Exceptions—tree damaging and prohibited groundwork offences) applies.

Note     The defendant has an evidential burden in relation to the matters mentioned in s (2) (see Criminal Code

, s 58).

    (3)     A person also has the benefit of the chapter 6 exceptions for an offence against this section.

Note     The chapter 6 exceptions are set out in s 153.