Minter Ellison's popular report on the fundamentals of doing business in Australia.
A large proportion of our practice is directed at planning and environmental approvals. Our work generally covers advising on the types of developments that can be approved and the process for approval; securing development approvals and construction certificates; defending and/or modifying developments that have been approved and determining what has been approved in the first place. Another major area of work is environmental law and licensing – including those under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, administered by the Environment Protection Authority – as well as dangerous goods licenses and waste disposal licenses. We determine whether a license is required, obtain environment protection licenses, and defend prosecutions for alleged breaches of environment protection licenses or environmental laws. Prosecutions for offences under environmental legislation are criminal prosecutions and we have represented a number of key clients in the Law and Environment Court in respect of these prosecutions.
Proposed amendments to the Environmental Protection Act 1994, as introduced by the Environmental Protection (Greentape Reduction) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2011, will affect all industries that trigger environmental approval thresholds. This Alert provides an overview of the proposed fundamental changes, outlining how industry may be impacted. We will release further specific Alerts to cover the effect on the resources sector and specific industry groups.
One of the more important amendments in Queensland's Sustainable Planning and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 is the introduction of provisions that protect the existing uses of particular premises from new encroaching development. We look at how and when the protection provisions apply, exemptions, the registration process and the obligations of premises owners.
The Queensland Biodiversity Offset Policy came into effect on 3 October 2011. The state wide Policy requires offsets for a broad range of activities - including level 1 mining, petroleum and gas activities, the construction of state-controlled roads and most environmentally relevant activities. This alert explains how the Policy will apply, the exemptions, and implications for future developments.