Tallis cops tree clearing fine

NRL great Gorden Tallis.

AAP

RUGBY league great Gorden Tallis has been fined $8000 for illegally clearing trees on his Brisbane property.

Tallis, 37, pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday to breaking council by-laws by removing 14 trees from his property at Bardon in January 2009.

He was fined $8000 and ordered to pay $4074 in costs.

No conviction was recorded.

Tallis's lawyer Angelo Venardos told the court the trees had been cleared because his client had misunderstood the terms of a development application that had been approved for his new home.

"When he engaged the services of a contractor to clear the block ... he wasn't able to properly brief the contractor, and consequently the contractor went in there and removed all of the trees in question without my client's express direction," Mr Venardos said.

However he said Tallis accepted responsibility for the removal, and had spent thousands of dollars complying with a council order to rehabilitate the site.

Mr Venardos said his client had wanted some of the larger trees removed from the property over concerns they might fall on the new house in a storm similar to the one that devastated The Gap in November 2008.

"My client didn't deliberately go out and thumb his nose at the approval ... he was doing it out of concern for his family," he said.

Outside court, the former Kangaroos, Queensland and Broncos captain said he was pleased the matter had been finalised.

"We've been working really hard with the council for the last 18 months," he said.

"I'm just glad that it's resolved and we can build our dream home - that's the most important thing."