About the event

Since 1974, World Environment Day has been celebrated every year on 5 June, engaging governments, businesses, and communities to focus on pressing environmental issues. The law has a transformative role in addressing environmental issues and this year the Law Society of Western Australia is holding a CPD seminar that will focus on environmental law topics presented by some of Western Australia’s leading lawyers in the area.

Sessions include:

ESG Risk and Some of the Key ‘E’ Issues Impacting Business – Lucy Shea, Partner, Clayton Utz

In a world where the community’s ESG expectations are constantly moving ahead of legal requirements, and failing to meet those expectation can have real bottom-line implications, compliance with the law is no longer enough. Effective management of ESG risk requires an understanding of the rapidly evolving regulatory framework, the key elements of your own social licence to operate and local community expectations and concerns, as well as trends in national and international climate change and ESG litigation and activism. Lucy will discuss each of these components of ESG risk, sharing an update on the current environmental law reform and regulatory agenda, along with forward-looking considerations for maintaining the all-important social licence to operate.

Environmental Impact Assessment in Western Australia: the Legal Framework – Glen McLeod, Principal, Glen McLeod Legal and Deputy Chair of the Law Society of Western Australia’s Environment, Town Planning & Local Government Committee

In this seminar we will consider the legal and policy framework for WA’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and its relationship to other approval processes, in particular town planning. In addition to the statutory and policy framework, we will consider some significant case law. Arising from this, are some important questions, in particular whether our statutory EIA system is ‘fit for purpose’? It is now approaching 38 years old. Has it been able to adjust to recent thinking, on subjects like climate change and sustainable development? How does it relate to other approval systems? These questions may exercise the minds of mining and development sector lawyers,  conservation groups and their lawyers. The object of the seminar is to inform the audience on these and related subjects.

The Legal Basis for Environmental Considerations in Matters Before the Mining Warden Following Telupac Holdings Pty Ltd v Hoyer [2022] WAMW 26 – Matthew Pudovskis, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers

The recent decision of the Mining Warden in Telupac Holdings Pty Ltd v Hoyer [2022] WAMW 26 has significant ramifications for public interest environmental objections to the grant of mining tenements.  Matthew will discuss the effect and significance of Telupac and how it fits in with the Mining Act’s regime for environmental protection and prior caselaw.