Prominent businessman headed for Supreme Court for alleged harbour waste dumping

THE case against a prominent Darwin businessman accused of dumping waste in Darwin Harbour could drag on for another year

Darwin business owner Michael Anthony says he will fight waste dumping charges.

• Businessman Michael Anthony to fight EPA charges in court

THE case against a prominent Darwin businessman accused of dumping waste in Darwin Harbour could drag on for another year after his legal team indicated he wants it to be heard by a Supreme Court justice.

Michael Adrian Anthony and his company, DWD Project Pty Ltd, both stand charged with intentionally polluting the environment and contravening development provisions.

On Tuesday, his lawyers told Local Court judge Greg Macdonald their clients would not consent to having the matter heard in the summary jurisdiction meaning it would have to be committed for trial in the Supreme Court.

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But Environment Protection Authority lawyer Trevor Moses said the move was “very surprising given these charges have been on foot for a year and half”.

“They’ve been through the directions mention stream for that entire time, which is premised on there being consent and these matters proceeding to a hearing in this court,” he said.

“All of those mentions have essentially been wasted now.”

The EPA alleges Anthony, who is the director of DWD Project, sourced several thousand cubic metres of construction and building waste, which was disposed of and spread onto DWD land and adjacent Crown land on Mavie St, which has Darwin Harbour frontage.

“The disposal and burial of these wastes raised the levels of the land, covered foreshore habitat and filled a large area of Darwin Harbour with wastes and contaminants,” an EPA spokesman said last year when the charges were laid.

At the time, Anthony told the NT News “there was no proof of contamination” and he would be fighting the charges.

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“I will be contesting these charges because in my opinion the hazard that has been claimed to, does not exist,” he said.

“There’s no proof that has been given to us after one year that site is actually contaminated. If there is contamination, I have offered to remedy it in accordance with all accepted NT, national and international remedial methods.”

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