Below the Surface

Gunnar Haid & James Hammond

Casual chats between an Austrian and Australian on environmental topics that usually don't get talked about openly. Hosts Gunnar Haid and James Hammond set out to provide a light-hearted and thought-provoking look into Contaminated Land, Resource Recovery, Ecology and general environmental issues in Australia, in particular NSW. They use their experience and industry connections to talk about subjects that, at least in their opinion, don't get talked about enough or not in the right context. Join them for a chuckle and some unique perspectives. And don't forget to keep track of your listening experience. It is official, listening to Below the Surface collects CPD points at a rate of 0.5 points per hour of listening (self education category).Contact: bts@4pillars.com.auhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcastThe necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers. (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

  1. 2 days ago

    #50 The Audit System

    Episode 50: The Audit System, a Great Idea Under Pressure Fifty episodes in, Gunnar and Hammond look back at their favourite conversations before tackling a big question: is the contaminated land site audit system working as well as it could? Both support the scheme and value the expertise auditors bring. But their experiences, and Gunnar’s conversations with around 15 auditors and senior consultants, raise questions about how audits are requested, conducted and supported. In this episode: When is an audit needed? The pressure on auditors. The cost of excessive conservatism. Consistency and accountability. What could improve? There are frustrations, a few laughs and plenty of respect for the auditors who help solve difficult problems. The aim is to improve a valuable system and make technical outcomes the centre of the conversation. Have a different perspective? We welcome feedback from auditors, consultants, councils and regulators. If you work with the scheme and would like to join the discussion, get in touch. Thanks for listening to our fiftieth episode. If you enjoy Below the Surface, share it with a colleague. Episodes mentioned: #35 The PFAS Heath Advice  #45 The Disclaimer  #19 The Inventor  #11 The Sampling Evolution   #16 The Sparrow in the Lead Mine  #27 The Chronicles of an Auditor with Rod Hardwood  Links: Thomas Midgley  Eddie the Eagle making Olympic history! Eric Moussambani  Elizabeth Swaney  The episode was recorded on 9 October 2026 Listen to Below the Surface and collect CPD points. We have confirmation that you can claim 0.5 points for every hour you spend with us under the Self Education Category Contact: bts@4pillars.com.au https://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcast The necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers.  (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

    #50 The Audit System
  2. 28 Aug

    #47 The EIANZ

    Who keeps environmental professionals honest, and what happens when they get it wrong? Gunnar and James open with a deceptively simple question: would you take a guaranteed $50,000 or risk it on a coin toss for $1 million? Their answers lead to a revealing conversation about risk, certainty, running a business and how personal circumstances shape financial decisions. Then the episode switches to newly appointed EIANZ President Fiona Gainsford about the growing influence of professional certification in the environmental industry. A frank discussion about professionalism, accountability and who sets the standards for the environmental industry. They discuss ethics, complaints and disciplinary action, conflicts of interest, misuse of certification seals, and whether the CEnvP system now holds considerable power over environmental professionals and their careers. They also push Fiona on some pointed questions: why the EIANZ stayed quiet during the asbestos in mulch saga, whether certification seals are vulnerable to misuse, how conflicts of interest are handled in practice, and whether an unpaid volunteer board should hold this much sway over people's livelihoods.  BBC Audio | More or Less | Would you take £50,000 or a 50/50 chance of £1m? Proposed AS ISO 18400-106 Soil Quality – Sampling Tony Albert - Wikipedia Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir | MCA Australia www.eianz.org www.cenvp.org EIANZ peer review guidelines Episode #14 The Honest Truth Listen to Below the Surface and collect CPD points. We have confirmation that you can claim 0.5 points for every hour you spend with us under the Self Education Category Contact: bts@4pillars.com.au https://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcast The necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers.  (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

    #47 The EIANZ
  3. 26 June

    #45 The Disclaimer

    Disclaimers in our reports. Useless fluff or necessary ass covering?  Who better to discuss this than Sarah Mansfield (LinkedIn) who is returning to Below the Surface and almost immediately raises the bar for all future lawyer and engineer jokes. Sarah, Gunnar and Hammond tackle P&O cruise insults, ALGA glory, puppies, and why a useful “How to Read This Report” section may be better than hiding AI created legal fog at the back. Other subjects: Report reliance, executive summaries, confused clients, angry clients, and why “nobody other than the Client can rely on this report” is not quite the magic spell consultants hope it is (spoiler: don't bother with that statement). Sarah's first appearance on BTS HWLE Lawyers H2coco poppers pulled from Woolies shelves due to plastic straws - Inside Waste Coal companies to reap billions more in taxpayer diesel subsidies as Labor approves new mining  The episode was recorded on 16 June 2026 Listen to Below the Surface and collect CPD points. We have confirmation that you can claim 0.5 points for every hour you spend with us under the Self Education Category Contact: bts@4pillars.com.au https://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcast The necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers.  (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

    #45 The Disclaimer
  4. 5 June

    #44 The Duplicate Pushback

    In Episode #30 The Duplicate, Gunnar famously declared that duplicate soil samples in heterogeneous fill are useless. Risk assessor Belle Casement of Terravale Consulting heard the episode… and decided Gunnar needed correcting. 😲 In this nerd-out episode, they discuss QA/QC, dodgy duplicates, lab uncertainty, conservative risk assessments, and whether the typical QC sections in contaminated land reports are actually science or just expensive pseudo scientific fluff we do to please regulators.  Gunnar briefly ponders writing his own version of the ASC NEPM and re-introduces the term Quality Theatre in hope of getting it officially introduced into the Miriam Webster next year.  They also get into lead, vapours, CRM samples, rinsates, trip blanks and upper confidence limits, with a completely unnecessary but somehow relevant detour into Henry VIII and Scientology. Nobody backs down, several sacred cows get kicked over, while Hammond tries hard to keep the two fighters apart and sometimes even dares to enter the ring himself.  BTS Episode #30: The Duplicate - the OG duplicate episode BTS Episode #11: he Sampling Evolution - Ross McFarland Listen to Below the Surface and collect CPD points. We have confirmation that you can claim 0.5 points for every hour you spend with us under the Self Education Category Contact: bts@4pillars.com.au https://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcast The necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers.  (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

    #44 The Duplicate Pushback

About

Casual chats between an Austrian and Australian on environmental topics that usually don't get talked about openly. Hosts Gunnar Haid and James Hammond set out to provide a light-hearted and thought-provoking look into Contaminated Land, Resource Recovery, Ecology and general environmental issues in Australia, in particular NSW. They use their experience and industry connections to talk about subjects that, at least in their opinion, don't get talked about enough or not in the right context. Join them for a chuckle and some unique perspectives. And don't forget to keep track of your listening experience. It is official, listening to Below the Surface collects CPD points at a rate of 0.5 points per hour of listening (self education category).Contact: bts@4pillars.com.auhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/below-the-surface-podcastThe necessary disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this Podcast are the speakers’ own. They do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of 4Pillars Environmental Consulting Pty Ltd or any Client, Supplier or other party related to 4Pillars or the speakers. (c) Gunnar Haid and James Hammond

You Might Also Like