Natalie Wheeler
Gladstone,Australia
Summary
I am passionate about healthy, safe & inclusive workplaces. I have a keen interest in environmental risk management and formal investigations.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Environmental Officer
Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
01.2023 - Current
Senior Environmental Officer
Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
01.2011 - 01.2022
- For 10 years (full-time & part-time) I have worked in the Department of Environment and Science (DES) Environmental Services and Regulation division as a Senior Environmental Officer, acting numerous times in a principal and team leader roles
- Predominate experience in compliance with earlier practice in assessment
- Advise, liaise, consult and negotiate with all levels of government agencies, industry and community groups on complex environmental issues to achieve ESR’s regulatory strategy
- Plan and conduct compliance inspections at licenced premises including a wide range of activities (heavy industry, mines, local government, LNG) where I, ensure compliance with their environmental authorities and broader obligations under the Environmental Protection Act 1994
- Assess environmental risks
- Make recommendations for improved environmental outcome consistent with legislation & DES’s regulatory framework
- Response to environmental incidents and lead response with a focus on obtaining sound scientific evidence
- Initiate formal investigations with strong participation in the process, such as supporting the Investigations team with relevant site knowledge, information requests & reviews, witness statements and formal interviews
- Investigate non-licenced activities and community complaints to achieve customer focused outcomes
- Analyse technical reports to define environmental risks and legislative non-compliance
- Mentor less experiences team members, by supporting their sense of purpose, how their core business relates to DES’s overarching objectives
- Work review and recommendations for improvement, guidance through complex and contentious matters
- Navigating the department policy and legislative interpretation
- Modelling workplace culture consistent with DES values
- Prepare statutory notices, ministerial and other correspondence, briefing notes and information documents
- Contribute to workplace initiatives, such as represent the Gladstone Office interests in the ESR CCC Workplace Health and Safety forum
- My participation in numerous high-profile environmental incident response and subsequent enforcement, including six that resulted in successful prosecutions
- One prosecution I’m most proud of, a contaminant release to air incident occurring in 2018, where I was heavily involved over the 2 year process, from leading the response, securing approval for formal investigation, supporting investigation and litigation teams as the case progressed, right through to the guilty conviction for unlawful serious environmental harm and contravention EA condition
- The site was fined $500,000 and $100,000 to public benefit order, plus legal costs with a conviction recorded
- The seriousness of the matter was captured with the magistrate stated that this EA holder was the most prosecuted company under the history of the Environmental Protection Act, 1994
- This was also DES’s highest sentencing amount in 2020 & recognized by the Deputy Director General
- Built and sustained healthy working relationships amongst a range of stakeholders in government, industry and the community
- I have received strong feedback from the investigation’s teams regarding my proven ability to perform well in formal investigations
Senior Environmental Health Officer
Gladstone Regional Council
01.2007 - 01.2011
- In this regulatory and compliance role, I contributed to delivering a range of public and environmental health services in place to protect and promote health, prevent the incidence of infectious diseases, safeguard the environment, and enhance quality of life in the community
- Specifically relating to the compliance under the following legislation: Environmental Protection Act 1994, Public Health Act 2005, Public Health Act (Infection Control for Personal Appearance Services) 2003, Food Act 2006, Dangerous Goods and Safety Management Act 2001 & Local Government Act 2009, Privacy Act 2009, Sustainable Planning Act 2009
- Inspect and audit premises to assess compliance with legislative requirements, State and Local, including food safety, environment protection, dangerous goods (flammable and combustible liquids), noise management, public health & infection control
- Respond to and investigate environmental health related complaints and enquiries
- Assess and make recommendations for approval of business licence applications and registrations
- Issue legal notices, orders, and instructions to secure compliance with legislation, such as
- Write inspection notes and letters, compliance audit reports & decision notices
- Ground enforcement such as Transitional Environmental Programs & Penalty Infringement Notices, for non-complaint sites
- Assess Development Applications for Environmentally Relevant Activities
- Write conditions for the approvals of Environmentally Relevant Activities
- Assist ERA sites in the development and implementation of site-based management plans
- Develop & implement community education programs, such as for mosquito disease control
- Prepare and undertake Environmental Health programs such as the school-based immunisation clinics in accordance
- In 2010, when acting in a local government environmental health supervisory role, there was a confirmed case of Dengue Fever
- My team and I partnered with Queensland Health and were tasked to undertake surveillance and prevent local transmission
- The unplanned event required my team to work over the weekend
- Leading my team focusing on the importance to protect ‘our’ local community rather than our broader public health obligations, we successfully achieved the outcome of no local transmission
- The team together played a vital role in preventing a potential dengue outbreak and established an important positive presence in our community
- The media coverage of the matter was reported well
Education
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Health
Griffith University
QLDBachelor of Environmental Management -
University of Notre Dame
WASkills
- Environmental regulation
- Compliance
- Collaborative engagement
- Mentoring
- Environmental risk management
- Formal investigations
Timeline
Principal Environmental Officer
Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
01.2023 - Current
Senior Environmental Officer
Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation
01.2011 - 01.2022
Senior Environmental Health Officer
Gladstone Regional Council
01.2007 - 01.2011
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Health
Griffith University
Bachelor of Environmental Management -
University of Notre Dame