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Air quality is important to the health and wellbeing of all Victorians. Most air pollution comes from industry, motor vehicles and domestic wood burning.
EPA plays a role in protecting the community from noise pollution.
Human health and wellbeing relies on the quality of our environment every day.
Our reporting system lets you dob in litterers in cars.
Many industrial activities require works approvals and licences from EPA.
EPA helps protect Victorians’ health from potential environmental hazards.
EPA works to protect Victoria from pollution during major infrastructure projects.
EPA periodically reviews environmental policy and regulation.
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Information about the fees and charges levied by EPA.
EPA’s organisational strategy sets out five goals and how we'll work with Victorians to achieve them.
EPA welcomes the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into EPA.
EPA works with the community, businesses and other organisations to protect the environment.
EPA recognises staff who are leaders in the areas of air quality, inland water, marine water, waste, landfill, land and groundwater, and odour.
The process to submit complaints about the conduct of an EPA authorised officer.
Both the 2006 social survey and a similar survey in 1986 found that traffic and residential noise affect the greatest proportion of the community.
While the amount of traffic increased in Melbourne, urban noise levels were generally similar to those in the 1970s. Newer vehicles being quieter may explain this. However, the social survey found that the percentage of people exposed and annoyed by traffic noise had increased since 1986. This would indicate that although the measured roads have similar noise levels, there were now more ‘busy’ roads across Victoria, with more people living nearby.
Annoyance from construction and alarms had also increased. Annoyance due to TV/music noise increased in the preceding 20 years, while barking dogs annoyed fewer people.
A UK study of environmental noise levels showed that Melbourne and the UK had similar noise levels throughout the day and night.
According to social research, Victorians experienced environmental noise impacts similar to those in other Australian states and overseas.
Over one in six respondents (18 per cent) in the social survey said they had complained about noise to the authorities, with complaints made primarily about neighbour noise and road traffic noise. Police (60 per cent) and local government (25 per cent) received the majority of complaints.
Over one in ten respondents said they had tried to solve the noise problem themselves. Of these, 63 per cent made changes to their homes or their habits and 37 per cent tried to directly or indirectly resolve the problem through negotiation or demand. Changes to the home were the most effective. In these cases, such actions solved the problem in about half of the cases.
Page last updated on 2 Aug 2012