Environment

A local council can't prevent owners at three residential apartments from building a seawall at The Entrance to guard against damage from coastal erosion, with a judge finding the visual impact was limited to when the beach was fully eroded. 

Gas giant Woodside has hit back at claims by activist groups that the federal environment minister's department "negotiated" with the company ahead of approving a 40-year extension to its North West Shelf project.

Activist group Friends of Australian Rock Art have alleged environment and water minister Murray Watt "cherry picked" potential economic and social benefits of Woodside's North West Shelf project while ignoring the harms.

Communications between the environment minister's department and Woodside over the gas company's controversial North West Shelf project raised concerns about the apprehension of bias, activist group Australian Conservation Foundation has told a trial judge.

Waste management company Renex has filed court proceedings seeking to overturn an environmental prosecution, alleging the EPA's investigator was not properly authorised to bring the case. 

Allens has welcomed a globally recognised climate change lawyer and her team of four to the firm, amid an expected uptick in greenwashing and directors' duty claims. 

Clifford Chance has hired the head of Mallesons' real estate group and his team of five to lead its growing real estate practice in Australia, on the heels of hiring lawyers from Pinsent Masons and HSF Kramer to kickstart its construction and environment teams.

An environmental group has criticised the NSW opposition's plan to scale back the New England renewable energy zone, calling it an “irresponsible backflip”.

A traditional owner has launched legal action against the Victorian government, challenging the approval of a floodplain engineering project at Nyah on the Murray River.

A recycling company has lost its bid to recover millions of dollars from its insurers, with a judge finding the insurers were not on the hook for losses arising from an EPA cleanup.