Freehills Publish Their Quarterly Environment Newsletter
Written by Sean Hocking
In the May edition of their - Environment Quarterly
Freehills have published the following articles:
Environment Quarterly
May 2008
Environmental and planning considerations are now at the centre of most major business transactions. As the volume and complexity of laws relating to protection and management of the environment increase, the potential exposure to environmental liability has become an issue of critical importance. More
Legislative developments
In this issue of Environment Quarterly, we provide readers with a review of significant legislative changes in the field of environmental and planning law in all Australian jurisdictions, some of which include:
Federal Parliament's consideration of tax breaks for establishing trees in carbon sink forests in the Tax Laws Amendment (2007 Measures No. 6) Bill 2007
New New South Wales Regulations which set out the requirements for managing and monitoring underground petroleum storage systems
A proposed Bill in Victoria to increase landfill levies, and
An overview of significant native vegetation law reforms in Queensland, and planning law reform in the ACT.
Case briefs
In this section, we review significant case developments in the field of environmental and planning law in all Australian jurisdictions. Some of the cases covered include:
Updates on the Port Phillip Bay channel deepening, Anvill Hill and Gunns pulp mill cases under the EPBC Act
Company director liability in Environment Protection Authority v Hogan [2008] NSWLEC 125
South Australian Supreme Court refusal of a residential subdivision proposal due to sea level rise, and
The meaning and application of Environmental Audit Overlays and planning permit conditions which regulate contamination issues in Victoria: Norman & Tinney v Yarra City Council
Policy developments
Here, we discuss the most recent environmental policy developments from around Australia such as planning reform in NSW, proposed reforms of environmental regulations in Queensland and environmental approval processes in Western Australia, and the Victorian Land and Biodiversity Green Paper.
