Michael Nicholls 
⚖️ The days of assuming a major waste facility will eventually secure its Development Licence on appeal are over. VCAT has formally backed EPA Victoria in its decision to refuse Veolia a Development Licence for a new waste and resource recovery facility at Hampton Park.
What happens when a fundamental assumption in hydrogeology is proven wrong? For decades, coastal groundwater models have assumed that heavier saltwater naturally sinks below freshwater. New Australian research published in EGUsphere has overturned this classical density-driven mo
🌊 What happens when a fundamental assumption in hydrogeology is proven wrong? For decades, coastal groundwater models have assumed that heavier saltwater naturally sinks below freshwater. New Australian research published in EGUsphere has overturned this classical density-driven model.
💰 A$625 million is about to flow into Australian recycling and climate infrastructure, and it comes with strict environmental strings attached. Australian Ethical and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation have just launched the Growth Opportunities Fund.
Reducing a development footprint by 54.5 hectares can be an effective way to secure federal environmental approval. Private Energy Partners has submitted a 780MW battery and gas generation project for federal environmental assessment.
🏭 A methodology update is never just administrative when it dictates your financial liability under the Safeguard Mechanism.
🔊 Roadside acoustic cameras are now capturing vehicle noise exceedances and automatically transmitting evidence to EPA Victoria. Manual patrols are no longer the primary enforcement mechanism. The Victorian Government has launched a $1.3 million trial of automated acoustic cameras.
🏘️ A 1999 remediation certificate will not protect your 2026 development from modern environmental scrutiny. Residents in Hendra have lodged a Right to Information request demanding decontamination records for a proposed fast food site.
🛑 The legal definition of a “rehabilitated” mine site is facing a controversial overhaul in Western Australia. The WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) is proposing an update to its Abandoned Mines Policy.
⚖️ “Net zero by 2050” is no longer just an aspirational marketing slogan. Under ASIC’s mandatory reporting regime, it is a forward-looking claim that carries serious legal exposure if it cannot be substantiated at the time it is made.