My practice focusses on helping clients develop and maintain their social licence to operate. I work hand-in-glove with clients to help them deliver complex major projects, including developing and implementing land access and assembly strategies (covering both voluntary arrangements and compulsory access and compensation) and assisting them to obtain project approvals (including providing representation in contested hearings) for environmental, planning, cultural heritage, water and regulatory matters.

I also regularly advise on biodiversity and carbon markets; climate change, nature positive, ESG and sustainability; compliance, regulator investigation and prosecution matters; circular economy and waste management; cultural heritage compliance and management; rehabilitation and decommissioning; contaminated land management; environmental licensing and pollution control.

Career highlights

• Successfully advised Yarra Ranges Council throughout the Environment Effects Statement process for the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination, a project that will ultimately deliver over 160 kilometres of mountain bike trails within national park, State forest and private land. The Project has been designed to be a world-class mountain bike destination, and to set a new benchmark in environmental protection, management and performance for mountain bike destination projects. My role included representing the project proponent throughout the 15 day Inquiry and Advisory Committee hearing process, which assessed the project's Environment Effects Statement and the associated planning scheme amendment, and received over 2,700 public submissions on matters including the appropriate use of national parks and protected drinking water supply catchments, impacts on endangered species and habitats, and the appropriate planning and regulatory controls for a long linear infrastructure project which is to be established within a sensitive environmental and social setting.
• Successfully advised Marble Solar on all land access and approvals matters associated with the Winton North Solar Farm, a 100MW solar farm and battery storage facility. My role included negotiating land access arrangements for the project and associated distribution line, successfully settling objector and conditions appeals, and obtaining planning permission which was directed to be issued by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
• Successfully advised on the establishment and management of some of the largest and most significant nature conservation reserves in Victoria's history. This has included facilitating site establishment, contracting project delivery, securing long term funding through innovative mechanisms which access local and international biodiversity and carbon markets, and reserving the land for long term protection and conservation purposes.
• Advising a number of miners of critical minerals, mineral sands and gold, and extractive industry operators on land access and assembly matters (including through use of voluntary agreements and compulsory access tools), approvals matters (including under mining and extractives, environmental, planning and cultural heritage legislation), regulatory compliance and rehabilitation matters. Also regularly advise industry through relevant industry bodies such as the Minerals Council of Australia.
• Partner with organisations such as the United Nations Environment Programme on thought leadership initiatives such understanding the role of climate litigation and liability as a catalyst of adaptation, and delivering work-wide training to financial institutions on the issue.
• Advising some of Australia's largest organisations on over-the-horizon issues such as the implications of the nature positive movement for their business, and the development of the nature repair market.
• Advising the State Government on a range of complex and confidential environmental law matters, including creating innovative reform proposals that have been accepted by Government and resulted in legislative reforms passed by Parliament.
• Advised Rail Projects Victoria on planning, environment and land access issues for the $11 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel project. This is one of Victoria's largest public transport project and the first underground railway constructed for more than a generation.
• Acted for Neoen on the environmental, land and approvals issues associated with the development and financing of the 100MW Numurkah Solar Farm (one of Victoria’s largest solar farms). I have also assisted Neoen on land tenure, cultural heritage and approvals issues associated with the Kentbruck Green Power Hub, the Navarre Green Power Hub, the Shepparton Solar Farm, the Kaban Green Power Hub, the Bulgana Green Power Hub and and other early-stage renewable energy projects.
• Advised IFM Investors on environmental and planning issues associated with its divestment of the Pacific Hydro business which included a portfolio of wind and hydro assets across Australia. This was part of a divestment of Pacific Hydro’s global renewable energy platform (with 900 MW of generation capacity across 19 hydro-electric and wind generation facilities in Chile, Australia and Brazil), and one of the largest renewable energy transactions in Australia to date.

• 2020's 'new normal': climate change risk review and governance issues to watch in the year ahead
  

  Our Climate Risk Governance team outlines developments in climate change risk across five key areas - climate risk disclosure and reporting, directors' duties, equity markets, debt finance and emissions reductions policies - and flags developments to watch in 2020.

   

• MinterEllison advises on Australia's largest mountain bike destination, in the heart of the iconic Yarra Ranges
  

  Leading law firm MinterEllison has assisted Yarra Ranges Council to secure key approvals for the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination, set to be a world-class mountain bike facility and a key economic driver for the region.

• Australia's biodiversity agenda: Nature Repair Market
  

  The Commonwealth Government recently took a major step in introducing legislation into Parliament to facilitate the establishment of a market in tradeable certificates for nature protection, repair and restoration.

• Significant developments in Victorian mining and extractive industry regulation
  

  The Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Amendment Bill 2023 (Vic) proposes a suite of reforms which present a significant transformation to how exploration, mining and extractive industries are currently regulated in Victoria.

• Will the Building Victoria's Recovery Taskforce fast track your project approval?
  

  The Building Victoria's Recovery Taskforce has been established to facilitate expedient approvals for projects to support industry activity.

• Noise implications for wind farms in Victoria
  

  A recent decision of the Victorian Supreme Court relating to wind turbine noise has a number of significant implications for the wind industry.

• Powering the energy transition: A renewable energy update
  

  The Commonwealth Government has announced a major expansion to the Capacity Investment Scheme, which follows a year of significant changes in renewable energy policy across Australia.

• Victoria's new duty to notify of land contamination
  

  We provide an overview of the new duty to notify of land contamination and outline how to prepare for its commencement.

• Carbon Markets: The international and domestic state of play
  

  Recent developments are creating new opportunities for carbon markets to provide a supporting role in achieving emission reduction targets.

• Update: Stage 2 Nature Positive Plan progresses
  

  The Federal Government has progressed 'Stage 2' of its Nature Positive Plan, with proposed new laws passing in the House of Representatives on 4 July 2024.

• Renewable Energy 2022: Australian laws and regulations
  

  Expert analysis of the Australian renewable energy sector as featured in ICLG - Renewable Energy 2022. The chapter covers the common issues in renewable energy laws and regulations, and commentary on industry dynamics from government support, regulatory reform, to foreign investment requirements.

• Staying in the system: Victoria's vision for a circular economy
  

  We explore the key aspects of Victoria's new circular economy laws and waste to energy framework, which form a central part of the Victorian Government’s once-in-a-generation reform to its waste and recycling system.

• MinterEllison adds specialist Environment and Planning Partner
  

  Internationally recognised lawyer and former environmental engineer, Joshua Dellios has joined MinterEllison as an Environment and Planning Partner, adding to the firm's strong 'whole of project lifecycle' national capability.

• Consideration of matters relevant to the approval of a quarry
  

  A recent report from Planning Panels Victoria has provided guidance for decision makers on the assessment of planning permit applications for quarries.

• Capitalising on critical minerals: How Australia can achieve its sector ambitions
  

  Following several critical minerals sessions at the 2023 International Mining and Resources Conference, we explore how Australia's mining sector can capitalise on the rising demand for critical minerals.

• New approval pathways for Victorian infrastructure projects
  

  The introduction of Amendment VC194 to all Victorian planning schemes provides an important and unique alternative approval pathway for State and Local Governments to fast-track the delivery of key infrastructure projects.

• Characterisation of proposed land use in permit applications
  

  A recent VCAT decision provides guidance on how to approach the task of characterising a proposed land use for planning purposes.

• Chubb review quells integrity concerns and Safeguard Mechanism gets a revamp
  

  The highly anticipated Chubb Review has been released alongside proposed reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism. We set out the key findings and recommendations below.

• Amping up: Release of the Victorian Transmission Plan Guidelines
  

  The recently released 2024 Transmission Plan Guidelines are an important piece of the broader puzzle that is the Victorian clean energy transition.

• Update on Safeguard Mechanism reforms
  

  In this update, we take you through the recent round of reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism and what they mean for regulated facilities.

   

• A step-by-step guide to exploration and mining in Victoria
  

  MinterEllison has collaborated with the Minerals Council of Australia (Victorian Division) (MCA) to produce a series of flowcharts to assist with demystifying the assessment and approvals processes for exploration and mining work in Victoria.

• Preparing your business for TNFD nature-related disclosure
  

  The science is clear – nature is deteriorating at an alarming and unprecedented rate. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) Framework marks a significant milestone in the global effort to integrate nature-related risks and opportunities into financial decision-making.

• Litigation as a risk for adaptation and adaptation finance
  

  What are the legal implications of adaptation to climate change-related impacts? Our team explores these issues in a new report, produced for the UNEPFI.