A company that unlawfully imported hydrofluorocarbon products into Western Australia has been hit with the largest fine ever issued under Australia’s ozone protection laws.
The Federal Court imposed the fine on ACN 089 171 415 Pty Ltd, formerly known as Fire Protection Technologies Pty Ltd.
The Melbourne-based business still trades across Australia as Fire Protection Technologies but has been owned by Dutch multinational Pon Holdings since September 2019.
The change of ownership came just two months after the Australian government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment commenced its prosecution.
Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said this followed an investigation into the importing of bulk HFC without a controlled substances licence.
“During our investigation, department officers seized several one-tonne capacity cylinders containing HFC-227ea, a widely used extinguishing agent, from the company’s premises in Melbourne and Perth,” Ms Ley said.
“This amount of HFC had the potential to create emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 6,600 cars or 2300 households.
“The company was aware of their obligations and import licensing requirements but proceeded to import a significant quantity of HFC-227ea anyway.”
The minister said the significant penalty imposed should send a clear message to any company thinking about working outside their obligations under the Act.
The maximum penalty for each contravention of unlicensed importation is $2.1 million.
The court noted that the company has undertaken to pay clean-up costs for the remaining amount of HFC-227ea.
HFC is a type of synthetic greenhouse gas which traps heat in the atmosphere and is measured by its global warming potential.
HFC-227ea is the fifth most potent of the 18 scheduled HFCs under the Act, and the most potent HFC that is commonly imported into Australia.
Business News approached Fire Protection Technologies for comment.
The business was founded in 1999 and describes itself as a supplier of special hazard products that support the fire protection industry in Australia.
