The Melbourne Planning Scheme has recently been amended to introduce mandatory built form controls to the central business district and Southbank area Managing Associate Meg Lee and Associate Kate Kirby report on the changes and on the reactions of key stakeholders ...

Significant amendments to laws governing retail shop leases in Queensland will be made under new legislation just introduced into the Queensland Parliament Landlords should carefully review the Bill so they can be prepared for the new regime once it commences Partner John Beckinsale and Special ...

Two new pieces of legislation relating to strata title law have been passed by both Houses of the NSW Parliament Although the new legislation which is expected to commence on 1 July 2016 will impose obligations on developers to provide inspection reports and building bonds it will also open up ...

The World Bank has released its Benchmarking Public Procurement 2016 report which provides comparable data on regulatory environments that affect the ability of private companies to do business with governments in 77 economies Allens Partner Leighton OBrien and Linklaters Counsel Julia ...

This Insight examines the latest developments in international arbitration ...

Over the weekend in Paris two weeks of negotiations culminated in the adoption by all parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of a conference decision and Paris Agreement to address climate change The combined Paris Outcome commits parties to limit global temperature ...

Water Services Association of Australia and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia the peak bodies for water utilities and infrastructure respectively have released a joint report that calls for major reform in the provision of urban water services across Australia The report suggests that there is a ...

The release of the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement has renewed the debate about the ability of foreign investors to sue governments under investor-State dispute settlement mechanisms which are commonly part of international trade agreements or investment treaties between States ...

The acting Federal Treasurer has made a determination under Australias national access regime to not declare access to the Newcastle shipping channel The decision is a reminder of the limits of the national access regime in challenging the pricing of infrastructure owners Partner John Hedge and ...

In a recent decision of the Victorian Supreme Court a Melbourne municipal council was held liable to compensate a landowner for the costs that were incurred by the landowner in the course of complying with a clean-up notice issued under the Environment Protection Act 1970 Vic despite the pollution ...