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UPDATE: Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill Passed
In our article published on 22 June 2026 here, we discussed some of the reforms proposed in the Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 (Bill) in respect of prefabricated housing and amendments to the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979…
Proposed New Councillor Conduct Framework
In 2025, the NSW government proposed amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act) by way of the Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment (Councillor Conduct) Bill 2025 (Conduct Bill). The Conduct Bill proposed, amongst other things, escalation of…
Changes to Renewable Energy Planning Agreements Likely Coming in 2026
Voluntary planning agreements are frequently used by planning authorities, such as local councils, as the legal mechanism by which proponents of renewable energy projects share the benefits of those projects with the local community. Planning agreements for renewable energy projects…
Bill to amend the Crown Land Management Act 2016
On 17 March 2026, the Crown Land Management Amendment (Statutory Review) Bill 2026 (the Bill) was introduced into Parliament to amend the Crown Land Management Act 2016 (CLM Act), the Commons Management Act 1989 and Crown Land Management Regulation 2018 (CLM Regulation)….
Building and completion approvals and pre fabricated buildings
The Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 was introduced into the NSW Parliament in May and proposes to consolidate provisions of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EPA Act) and Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 and Building and…
Reminders from the LEC: What constitutes the erection of a ‘Building’?
In two recent Commissioner decisions, the Land and Environment Court has again considered what constitutes a ‘building‘ for the purposes of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPA Act). The EPA Act defines a ‘building‘ as including ‘part of a…
Low Rise Housing | Targeted Assessment Pathway and Complying Development Variations
The NSW Government has taken the next step towards what it says will facilitate faster housing delivery by releasing two key papers for public consultation to provide for streamlined low-rise housing development assessments. Consultation both papers (linked at the bottom…
Draft CPP and DAs Exempt from Public Notification
On 8 April 2026, the NSW Government released the proposed statewide Community Participation Plan (Statewide CPP) for public comment. The Planning System Reforms Act 2025 (Reform Act) requires the Planning Secretary to prepare a single statewide community participation plan about…
ALERT: Further Planning System Reforms commencing on 21 March 2026
On 21 March 2026, further amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPA Act) and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation (EPA Regulation) made by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Planning Systems Reforms) Act 2025 (Planning Systems…
The Extent to Which Public Works Extinguish Native Title Claims
A decision handed down by the Federal Court in December 2025 provides crucial guidance on how the “undertaking of public works” can extinguish native title claims. The judgment is of particular importance to government agencies managing Crown lands who need…
Court of Appeal Addresses Misleading and Deceptive Conduct in Payment Claim Disputes
In a recent decision of the NSW Court of Appeal, the Court has clarified important interactions between the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW) (SOPA) and the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and confirmed the key legal…
Certifier Series: Issues that arise where building work has been commenced without a Construction Certificate
This blog is part of our LTL in Focus: Certifier Series. The Certifier Series deals with questions, issues and changes affecting both private and local council certifiers. In this blog we discuss the issues that arise when building work is…