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This is a Bill, not an Act. For current law, see the Acts databases.


RIGHTS OF NATURE AND FUTURE GENERATIONS BILL 2019

                    Western Australia


Rights of Nature and Future Generations
                Bill 2019

                          Contents

      Part 1 -- Preliminary
1.    Short title                                             2
2.    Commencement                                            2
3.    Objects                                                 2
4.    Crown bound                                             2
5.    Inconsistent laws                                       3
      Part 2 -- Rights
6.    Rights in nature                                        4
7.    Rights in future generations                            4
8.    Rights self-executing                                   4
9.    No liability                                            4
      Part 3 -- Liability and enforcement
      Division 1 -- Prohibitions
10.   Rights protected                                        5
11.   Approvals invalid                                       5
      Division 2 -- Enforcement
12.   Duty to secure rights                                   5
13.   Standing                                                5
14.   Injunctions                                             6
15.   Costs in proceedings                                    6
16.   Lack of full scientific certainty shall not postpone
      action                                                  6
      Division 3 -- Liability
17.   Onus of proof                                           6
18.   Corporate and directors liability                       7
19.   Damages                                                 7


                           151--1                             page i
                           Western Australia


                      LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

              (Introduced by Hon Ms Diane Evers, MLC)

     Rights of Nature and Future Generations
                     Bill 2019

                               A Bill for


An Act to protect the rights of nature and future generations and for
related purposes.



The Parliament of Western Australia enacts as follows:




                                                               page 1
     Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
     Part 1          Preliminary

     s. 1



1                             Part 1 -- Preliminary
2    1.         Short title
3               This is the Rights of Nature and Future Generations Act 2019.

4    2.         Commencement
5               This Act comes into operation as follows --
6                (a) sections 1 and 2 -- on the day on which this Act
7                      receives the Royal Assent;
8                (b) the rest of the Act -- on a day fixed by proclamation.

9    3.         Objects
10        (1)   The objects of this Act are to --
11               (a) recognise and secure the inherent rights of nature to
12                     naturally exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve, and its
13                     right to restoration and recovery; and
14               (b) recognise and respect that First Nations Peoples, who
15                     have cared for land and sea country for millennia, have
16                     the right to speak for country and defend their ancestral
17                     lands from unwanted developments and environmental
18                     harm; and
19               (c) recognise and respect the rights of all present and future
20                     generations to live in a healthy world; and
21               (d) make it an offence to violate the rights and prohibitions
22                     recognised under this Act and provide for enforcement
23                     and implementation; and
24               (e) promote the protection and care of nature as a primary
25                     goal for human societies.

26   4.         Crown bound
27              This Act binds all persons, including the Crown.




     page 2
                        Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
                                               Preliminary         Part 1

                                                                       s. 5



1   5.   Inconsistent laws
2        If there is any inconsistency between the provisions of this Act
3        and the provisions of any other Act, the provisions of this Act
4        will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.




                                                                   page 3
     Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
     Part 2          Rights

     s. 6



1                                Part 2 -- Rights
2    6.         Rights in nature
3         (1)   Nature, including all ecosystems, ecological communities and
4               native species, has the right to --
5                 (a) naturally exist, flourish, regenerate and evolve; and
6                 (b) recovery, rehabilitation and restoration; and
7                 (c) a healthy and stable climate system; and
8                 (d) a vibrant and biodiverse community of life.

9    7.         Rights in future generations
10        (1)   Present and future generations of people in the State have the
11              right to --
12                (a) a healthy environment, including the right to clean air
13                       and clean water; and
14                (b) a healthy and stable climate system; and
15                (c) a vibrant and biodiverse community of life.

16   8.         Rights self-executing
17              All rights secured by this Act are inherent, fundamental and
18              inalienable, and shall be self-executing and enforceable against
19              both private and public actors. Further implementing legislation
20              shall not be required to enforce all of the provisions of this Act.

21   9.         No liability
22              The rights recognised by this Act shall not be interpreted to
23              confer liabilities, duties or responsibilities on nature.




     page 4
                                Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
                                          Liability and enforcement        Part 3
                                                         Prohibitions Division 1
                                                                             s. 10



1                    Part 3 -- Liability and enforcement
2                             Division 1 -- Prohibitions
3    10.         Rights protected
4          (1)   Activities which violate the rights recognised by this Act are
5                prohibited.
6          (2)   It is an offence to significantly interfere with any right
7                recognised by this Act.
8                Penalty:
9                      (a) for an individual -- a fine of $500 000 or 5 years
10                           imprisonment or both;
11                     (b) for a body corporate -- a fine of $5 000 000.

12   11.         Approvals invalid
13               Any permit, approval, licence, privilege or other government
14               authorisation of an action, project, activity or development that
15               would violate the provisions of this Act shall be invalid for all
16               purposes.

17                           Division 2 -- Enforcement
18   12.         Duty to secure rights
19               The State shall take all necessary steps and measures to
20               implement, defend and enforce the rights and provisions of this
21               Act.

22   13.         Standing
23         (1)   Any person may bring proceedings for an offence or breach of
24               any right or provision of this Act.
25         (2)   In addition to having the standing recognised under
26               subsection (1), and without limiting, extinguishing or otherwise
27               affecting any other of their rights, First Nations Peoples have


                                                                            page 5
     Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
     Part 3          Liability and enforcement
     Division 3      Liability
     s. 14



1                the right to join as a party any proceeding commenced under
2                this Act.
3          (3)   Any proceeding brought to defend or enforce the rights secured
4                in section 6 of this Act, shall be brought in the name of nature,
5                an ecosystem, ecological community or native species, as the
6                real party in interest.

7    14.         Injunctions
8                Any person may apply to the Supreme Court of Western
9                Australia for an injunction under this section to stop the doing
10               of any act that will or is likely to contravene a provision of this
11               Act.

12   15.         Costs in proceedings
13               In any proceeding commenced under this Act, a person found to
14               have committed an offence or contravened a provision of this
15               Act shall be liable to pay the costs of the proceeding incurred by
16               the party or parties applying to enforce the provisions of the
17               Act, including, without limitation, expert and legal fees.

18   16.         Lack of full scientific certainty shall not postpone action
19               Lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for
20               denying or postponing the implementation, defence or
21               enforcement of the rights and provisions of this Act.

22                               Division 3 -- Liability
23   17.         Onus of proof
24               In any proceeding commenced under this Act, the burden of
25               proving that an action, project, activity or development will not
26               contravene the provisions in this Act lies with the entity
27               proposing to take or carry out the action, project, activity or
28               development.




     page 6
                                Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
                                          Liability and enforcement        Part 3
                                                             Liability Division 3
                                                                             s. 18



1    18.         Corporate and directors liability
2          (1)   If a body corporate contravenes any provision of this Act, each
3                person who is a director or who is concerned in the management
4                of the body corporate is taken to have also committed the same
5                contravention unless the person proves that --
6                   (a) the person did not know, and could not reasonably be
7                        expected to have known, that the contravention was
8                        being committed; or
9                  (b) the person --
10                         (i) was not in a position to influence the conduct of
11                              the body corporate in relation to the
12                              contravention; or
13                        (ii) being in such a position, used all due diligence
14                              and reasonable precautions to prevent the
15                              contravention.
16         (2)   Under this section a person may be proceeded against and found
17               to have contravened a provision of this Act whether or not the
18               body corporate has been proceeded against or found to have
19               committed the contravention.
20         (3)   Nothing in this section prejudices or affects any liability
21               imposed on a body corporate for a contravention committed by
22               the body corporate of a provision of this Act.
23         (4)   Without limiting any other law or practice regarding the
24               admissibility of evidence, evidence that an officer, employee or
25               agent of a body corporate (while acting in his or her capacity as
26               such) had, at any particular time, a particular state of mind, is
27               evidence that the body corporate had that state of mind.

28   19.         Damages
29         (1)   A person who is found to have contravened a provision of this
30               Act shall be liable for damages in respect of harm caused by the
31               conduct constituting the contravention, including any costs of
32               remediation, rehabilitation and restoration of an ecosystem,


                                                                            page 7
     Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill 2019
     Part 3          Liability and enforcement
     Division 3      Liability
     s. 19



1             ecological community or native species to a state of health
2             consistent with the rights recognised in this Act.
3       (2)   Damages under this section shall be paid, as the Court deems
4             appropriate, to relevant State or Local Government agencies
5             and/or a not-for-profit organisation (being an association
6             incorporated in the State with demonstrated commitment to the
7             restoration of nature and capacity to conduct that restoration), to
8             be used exclusively for the full and complete restoration of
9             nature, including the particular ecosystem, ecological
10            community or native species.

11




 


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