Australian businesses prepare for the new privacy regime
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.
Acted for Walker Corporation in its redevelopment of waterfront land at Rhodes, NSW. The development is an estimated A$800 million project which involved a paint factory site being remediated and redeveloped to a mixed-use, high-rise, shopping centre, residential and commercial village.
Advised Westfield Group on a wide range of planning matters in New South Wales (purchase and development of three major CBD retail sites in Sydney, including Centrepoint) and Queensland (development approvals for a new regional centre at Coomera and major expansion at North Lakes Centre, Chermside and Garden City regional shopping centres).
Advised Xstrata Coal Australia on the environment, planning and mining issues associated with all of its coal mining operations in NSW.
The cornerstone of the Brisbane Airport Corporation's infrastructure program for Australia's third-busiest airport is a new Parallel Runway, expected to be completed by 2020. The new runway will be the first new major runway planned and built in Australia for decades and be among very few privately built runways in the world.Minter Ellison is currently supporting BAC with the development and implementation of a procurement strategy for Stage 1 of the proposed $1.3 billion runway. This is one of the most significant transport sector projects in Queensland involving complex civil, dredging and reclamation work.
Acting for Port Waratah Coal Services Limited (a privately owned facility, the largest shareholder of which is Rio Tinto Coal Australia Limited) in the redevelopment and expansion of the Kooragang Coal Terminal and the Carrington Coal Terminal in the Port of Newcastle.
Advised Port of Melbourne Channel Deepening, one of the largest infrastructure projects conducted by the Victorian Government in recent times, seen as critical to the Port and Australia's position in global shipping. As key advisers to the Port of Melbourne Corporation, we advised on many aspects of the project, including the Supplementary Environmental Effects Statement and managed the public hearing process Federal Court litigation over the Federal Government's environmental approval for the dredging, cultural and Aboriginal heritage issues, relocation of essential infrastructure under the Yarra River, the resolution of the alliance dredging contract, and land tenure issues relating to land assets affected by the project.