Environment
Overview
Our Planning Government Infrastructure & Environment group specialises in assisting private and public sector clients on environmental planning and approval processes, liabilities under environmental legislation and environmental incidents, waste law, biodiversity, native title, environmental due diligence and statutory processes.
Environmental concerns are embedded in every aspect of business. Our group works closely with our firm's Construction & Engineering, Property & Development and Banking & Finance groups to provide end-to-end advice to our clients. We regularly partner with State government and local governments, developers and construction and engineering companies involved in major projects in the infrastructure, mining, energy, transport, water and waste sectors.
In property, construction and corporate transactions, we provide support on transaction risk management advice for environmental liabilities. In addition to providing regulatory advice on all aspects of environmental law and policy in Australia, we regularly:
- assist clients navigate "nature positive" and "nature repair" biodiversity reforms at federal and state levels
- advise on Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 matters
- advise on government funding opportunities
- facilitate the commercialisation of energy and water infrastructure projects
- draft, negotiate and review agreements involving environmental and water markets, offsets, biodiversity and conservation agreements and covenants
- assist and support when responding to environmental incidents, regulatory investigations and prosecutions
- help clients obtain government approvals and licences, with appropriate conditions, for regulated activities
- review environmental assessment requirements and reports for major projects
- review operational risk and incident management procedures
- assist clients to prepare, review and implement, and continually improve, climate change risk assessments and management plans, and sustainability frameworks and management plans, including for energy, water, waste and emissions.
