NELA National Conference 2014

Attend and earn 7 CPD point in substansive law.

ADDRESSING THE PRIORITIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE LAW

Transformation or Train Wreck? Environmental and Climate Change Law at the Crossroads

8.30 Conference Registration

9.00 Official Welcome 
Amanda Cornwall, Policy and Management Consultant and President of NELA

9.05 Opening Remarks from the Chair
The Hon. Dennis Cowdroy OAM QC, former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and the Land and Environment Court of NSW

9.15 Opening Keynote Address
The Hon. Rob Stokes, MP, NSW Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, Minister for the Central Coast and Assistant Minister for Planning

9.45 Achieving Commitments to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Update

• Where to next: Australia’s climate policy options and implications for Australian business

Martijn Wilder AM, Head of Baker & McKenzie’s Global Environmental Markets Practice

LIVE WEBCAST FROM THE U.S.

• Case study: Current policy approach taken by the US EPA in mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Richard Saines, Head of Baker & McKenzie’s North America Climate Change and Environmental Markets Practice

10.45 Morning Tea

11.00 Review of Bilateral Agreements under the EPBC Act

• The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), and recent amendments
• Aspects of environment assessment to be dealt with at the Federal and State level under the different bilateral agreements
• Comparative analysis of NSW and QLD

Dr Kimberley Dripps, Deputy Secretary, Department of the Environment

11.50 The Implementation of the ‘One Stop Shop’: A State’s Perspective

Sally Noonan, Executive Director of the Futures Unit, Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning

12.20 PANEL DISCUSSION: Impact of ‘One Stop Shop’ Amendments on Environmental Approvals and Planning Procedure

• Impacts on environmental approvals and planning procedure
• Practical issues for practitioners
• Does it reduce opportunities for scrutiny of environmental and social impact
• Increasing public scrutiny and accountability by the Regulators

John Briggs, Partner, Ashurst and Sue Higginson, Principal Solicitor, EDO NSW

12.55 Q & A Discussion
The Hon. Dennis Cowdroy OAM QC, former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and the Land and Environment Court of NSW

1.00 Lunch

From Here to Where: Recent Developments and the Future

1.45 Opening Remarks from the Chair The Hon. Justice Nicola Pain, Judge of the Land & Environment Court of New South Wales

1.55 Towards a National Best Practice Standard on Environmental Offsets

• NELA’s proposal for a national environmental offset standard
• Biodiversity offset requirements: a Pilbara perspective

Amanda Cornwall, Policy and Management Consultant and President of NELA and Declan Doherty, Corporate Counsel - Environment, Rio Tinto

2.40 Judicial Review and the Principles of Ecological Sustainable Development: Where are We Going?

• ESD as a relevant consideration to be taken into account by decision makers
• Precautionary principle
• Non regression principle

Christine Trenorden, UCL Australia, School of Energy and Resources, and formerly The Senior Judge of the Environment, Resources and Development Court of South Australia

3.10 Afternoon Tea

3.25 Changing Face of Environmental Litigation

• The future for public interest environment protection claims - reductions in third party objector and enforcement rights, costs issues and government funding cuts to EDOs
• Holding Governments to account for the international law obligations it has assumed to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity
• Emerging climate change litigation in the face of scientific certainty about risks (fires, floods, etc)

Greg McIntyre SC, John Toohey Chambers,
Professor Peter Cashman, University of Sydney and Public Interest Advocacy
Jo-Anne Bragg, Principal Solicitor, EDO QLD

4.15 PANEL DISCUSSION: Has Environmental Law Lost Traction?

What is the vision for national environmental and climate change law?
Moderator: Dr Gerry Bates, Adjunct Professor and Author of Environmental Law in Australia

Panellists:
Declan Doherty, Corporate Counsel, Environment, Rio Tinto
Clare Smith, Partner, Clayton Utz
Professor Jan McDonald, University of Tasmania
Professor Simon Molesworth, AO QC, Foundation
NELA President, Barrister, Victorian Bar
Lyndon Schneiders, National Campaign Manager, Wilderness Society

5.25 Official Closing Statements
The Hon. Justice Nicola Pain, Judge of the Land & Environment Court of New South Wales
Amanda Cornwall, Policy and Management Consultant and President of NELA

Sponsor/exhibitor contact

Sharon Jardim
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