Nicholas Wood

A judge has tossed an environmental group's bid for judicial review of a minister's approval of plans to build water regulating structures at the Nyah Floodplain in Victoria, saying the approval was contingent on plans to offset effects on the Regent parrot.

An animal rights group has told the High Court it retains copyright in footage it took while trespassing on a Victorian abattoir and that it “makes no sense” for the slaughterhouse to have rights to the footage.

Trial in a case by the Wilderness Society challenging Santos' plans for its Reindeer gas field kicked off Tuesday, with counsel for the activist group saying the energy giant needed to show it coud cover decommissioning costs.

Human rights and press freedom activists want to intervene in a High Court case over copyright ownership in abattoir footage obtained by trespass, saying the broader public interest might be affected by the case.

The Victorian planning minister has told the High Court that IGA can't bring a lawsuit over a local council amendment allowing up to four supermarkets in the town of Shepparton, saying the case does raise a jurisdictional error. 

A community group has lost a legal challenge to a 50-60 km underground pipeline that will connect Santos’ $3.6 billion Narrabri gas project to the Hunter gas pipeline. 

The High Court has taken up an appeal by the Victorian planning minister in a row with IGA that seeks guidance on the jurisdictional reach of the state Supreme Court in planning disputes.

Santos has failed to convince a judge that it should not provide documents relied on by NOPSEMA to approve the company’s environmental plan for its Reindeer gas field in judicial review proceedings.

An activist group has asked the High Court to overturn a decision finding it does not own the copyright for grim footage secretly obtained by trespassing at a Victorian slaughterhouse, arguing the case has consequences for press freedoms.

The High Court has been asked to clarify the jurisdictional reach of the Victoria Supreme Court to hear planning disputes, in a spat between the state and supermarket operator IGA.