JWS Consulting is a division of Johnson Winter & Slattery providing commercial consulting services.
Johnson Winter & Slattery is engaged by major businesses, investment funds and government agencies as legal counsel on important transactions and disputes throughout Australia and surrounding regions.
Our firm provides a diverse range of opportunities for talented, enthusiastic people to develop brilliant legal careers.
Our news and media coverage including major transaction announcements, practitioner appointments and team expansions.
We support a number of community initiatives and not for profit organisations across Australia through pro bono legal work and charitable donations.
We support a number of organisations through sponsorships.
Recent amendments to the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) (EP Act) further reform the mine rehabilitation regime in Queensland.
The reforms:
The Rehabilitation Commissioner will provide independent scientific advice to both government and industry for the purpose of evaluating the rehabilitation framework in Queensland.
The statutory functions of the Rehabilitation Commissioner include:
The Rehabilitation Commissioner has an advisory role rather than a regulatory function. The administering authority under the EP Act will continue to regulate resource activities through the approval of environmental authorities and the taking of enforcement action.
Amendments to residual risk framework
Over recent years, the EP Act has been amended to include a residual risk framework that seeks to ensure that risks remaining on a resource site following completion of resource activities are identified, costed and managed.
The reforms seek to enhance the existing residual risk framework in an endeavour to improve the management of residual risks on former resource sites.
The reforms to the residual risks framework:
On 2 October 2020, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) published an Interim Residual Risk Assessment Guideline for the purpose of describing how to undertake a residual risk assessment and providing information to help determine whether a risk management plan is required to be included with a post-surrender management plan. DES have stated that the Interim Guideline will be in place until the completion of the final residual risk assessment guideline under the Ministerial Industry Implementation Working Group.
In early February the Victorian Government announced that a new, $10 million hydrogen hub would be constructed in Melbourne’s south east.
The industrial manslaughter provisions commenced on 1 July 2020 with amendments made to a number of Mineral and Energy Resources legislative instruments including the Coal Mining Safety & Health...
Our update covers mining, oil and gas, electricity and renewable energy.