The High Court is set to determine whether New Acland Coal’s application for an extension of the New Acland open-cut coal mine (Stage 3 Project) must be determined afresh as a result of bias on the part of the Land Court of Queensland. Read more
The Cooperative Research Centre of Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, in consultation with the National Remediation Framework Steering Group, has released the National Remediation Framework. The Framework is intended for use by land owners and managers, government agencies and site contamination practitioners as a reference point for best practice methods and approaches to remediation. Read more
In response to industry feedback, the Queensland Government has included temporary amendments to the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) (EP Act) in their Justice and Other Legislation (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Amendment Bill 2020 (Response Bill), which was introduced on 19 May 2020. Read more
A group of young Queenslanders is challenging the mining lease and environmental approval for the Waratah coal mine, part of the Galilee Coal Project. Although detailed grounds are not yet available, statements on behalf of the group indicate that the grounds will explicitly link climate change with human rights in a way that is novel in Australia. Read more
More complex, taking longer, and less certain. The Productivity Commission confirms that there is scope for improvement for regulatory processes, including reduced duplication of Commonwealth and State assessments and approvals. Read more
On 18 November 2019, the updated version of the Equator Principles (EP), EP4, was adopted by the Equator Principles Association. EP4 will apply to mandated transactions from 1 July 2020. This article discusses the key amendments made. Read more
The Discussion Paper relating to the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) has been released for public consultation. Written submissions on the Discussion Paper are due by 5pm on 17 April 2020. Read more
