Tree vandals face $500,000 penalties
People who illegally clear or poison trees in NSW could face court-imposed penalties of up to $500,000 under new reforms. Corporations could be fined up to $2.5 million. Councils will gain the power to pursue civil penalties on both public and private land for the first time. On-the-spot fines will double for individuals to $6,000 and triple for businesses to $18,000. Councils will also be able to stop tree clearing work and enforce replanting. Planning Minister Paul Scully said the reforms respond to community anger over recent tree vandalism cases.