Areas of expertise

Overview

Sarah works with public and private sector clients to advise on environment and planning issues with a particular focus on compliance with State and Federal environmental laws.

She has experience in advising on mining, forestry, threatened species, vegetation clearing and aquaculture.

Sarah specialises in advising project proponents on a full range of statutory approvals including referral requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Experience

Sarah’s focus is on the provision of complex environment and planning law advice to public and private sector clients.

Examples of her experience include:

• advising proponents on statutory frameworks, major assessment pathways and applicable exemptions;
• undertaking due diligence for major projects;
• working with companies to establish systems to meet regulatory requirements under State and Federal environmental legislation;
• advising on compliance with the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 with a particular focus on environment protection notices and Level 2 assessments;
• advising on compliance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 with a particular focus on referrals, controlled actions and assessment pathways;
• conducting planning appeals in the Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (Resource and Planning Stream);
• coordinating hearings in the Tasmanian Planning Commission;
• coordinating judicial review proceedings of natural resource management decisions; and
• conducting proceedings under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in the Federal Court of Australia.

Sarah is a member of the National Environmental Law Association, the Secretary of the Tasmanian division of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand and contributes to professional environment and planning law journals and publications. She holds a Master of Laws (Environmental Law) from the Australian National University and has practised in government, in-house and in private practice including in London and the Pacific.