New South Wales Repealed Regulations New South Wales Repealed RegulationsThis legislation has been repealed.
(Clause 3 (1))
The following are principles of ecological sustainability:
Where there are threats of serious or
irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should
not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental
degradation.
In the application of the precautionary principle, public and private
decisions should be guided by:
(a) careful evaluation to avoid, wherever practicable, serious or irreversible damage to the environment, and
(b) an assessment of the risk-weighted consequences of various options.The principle requires decision-making to give the environment the benefit of the doubt.
The present generation should ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment are maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations (that is, regard should be had to the effect of development on all of the generations which may use or expect to benefit from the nation's resources).
Conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity should be a fundamental consideration.
The following environmental factors should be considered in the valuation of assets and services:
(a) the polluter pays principal (that is, those who generate pollution and waste should bear the cost of its containment, avoidance or abatement),
(b) the users of goods and services should pay prices based on the full cycle costs of providing goods and services, including the use of natural resources and assets and the ultimate disposal of any wastes,
(c) environmental goals that have been identified should be pursued in the most cost effective way by establishing incentive structures, including market mechanisms which enable those best placed to maximise benefits or minimise costs to develop their own solutions and responses to environmental problems.