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Australia’s environmental protection framework is undergoing major reform, with proposed changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) set to reshape how projects are assessed, approved, and managed. For contaminated land professionals, this introduces a more complex, risk‑focused regulatory landscape—particularly where contamination intersects with matters of national environmental significance.
The reforms signal a shift from established approval pathways to more structured decision‑making, stronger regulatory oversight, and clearer thresholds for acceptable impact. Key changes include the establishment of a new National Environment Protection Agency, expanded compliance and enforcement powers, increased penalties, and new regulatory mechanisms—placing greater emphasis on accountability across the project lifecycle.
New assessment pathways and the introduction of “go” and “no‑go” zones will influence land use and development feasibility, while changes to the offsets regime will limit the ability to compensate for unacceptable impacts. Transitional arrangements will also determine how projects already in the approvals pipeline or operating under existing decisions are treated.
In this webinar, Norton Rose Fulbright will explore:
Practical insights will be provided on how these reforms may affect project planning, approvals strategy, and risk management, particularly in scenarios where contamination intersects with protected environmental matters.
This webinar will be particularly valuable for consultants, landowners, developers, contaminated land professionals, and project teams seeking a clear, practical understanding of the EPBC Act reforms and how to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape with greater confidence.
Jacqueline advises on the full lifecycle of major projects across Australia. She has deep expertise in working with clients on selecting approval pathways, assisting with the preparation of environmental approvals at both the Commonwealth and state levels, appearing in State and Territory courts regarding approvals, assisting with environmental compliance and incident response, together with large-scale M&A. She has advised extensively on the operation of the EPBC Act as part of approvals pathway advice, obtaining approvals and advising on compliance issues. In recent times, she has worked closely with clients on advising on the implications of the reforms to the EPBC Act. Jacqueline regularly provides training and conducts presentations for industry associations and clients, and was named as a recommended environment and climate change lawyer in Doyles Guide 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026.
Julieane Materu is an environmental and planning lawyer based in Brisbane. Julieane has 15 years’ experience advising government and private sector clients in the energy, resources, infrastructure, and property development sectors on the delivery of their major projects, including environmental impact assessment; environmental, water, and planning approvals; operational requirements and incident management; and decommissioning, rehabilitation and redevelopment. Before joining Norton Rose Fulbright, Julieane worked at a top-tier Australian law firm and at the Federal Environment Department. She holds a Master of Laws from the Australian National University and has a particular focus on the energy transition and renewable energy projects.
ALGA Member: $37.00
Non-Member: $74.00
Students: $15.00
All fees include GST
1 CPD Point
