Australia: Construction & Planning

The Queensland Productivity Commission has launched a public inquiry into the 2025 EPBC Act reforms, examining their impact on Queensland businesses and industries. With an interim report due later this year and final recommendations by April 2027, stakeholders now have a critical opportunity to submit evidence on regulatory burdens, compliance costs, and operational impacts.

In this edition of Building the Future: Construction and the Energy Transition, we analyse key contracting and dispute resolution trends in Australia's energy transition and explore notable cases from Asia...

A recent NSW court case examines when developers and builders can be held liable under section 37 of the Design & Building Practitioner's Act 2020 for defective building work. The decision clarifies what constitutes 'substantive control' over construction work and establishes the evidentiary threshold required to prove breach of the statutory duty of care.

Australia's 2026-27 federal budget introduces sweeping immigration reforms that will reshape how skilled workers are selected, where temporary visa holders can buy property, and how quickly migrant tradespeople can enter the workforce. The changes mark the first overhaul of the skilled migration points test in over a decade and signal a strategic shift toward prioritizing onshore applicants already living in Australia. What do these policy adjustments mean for employers, migrants, and the broader trajectory

Australia's 2026-27 Budget delivers the most significant tax reform in 25 years, fundamentally reshaping property investment incentives through negative gearing restrictions and capital gains tax changes while navigating a global oil crisis pushing inflation toward 5%.

The Fair Work Commission recently held an engagement conference to address urgent implementation and interpretation issues arising under the Road Transport Contractual Chain Order – Fuel Cost Recovery – 2026.

This decision reinforces two important themes in construction disputes.

Construction insolvencies now represent one of the largest shares of corporate failures in Australia. While the triggers vary, the underlying pattern is often remarkably consistent...

Where integrated development may be engaged, ensure the correct deemed-refusal period (40 vs 60 days) is applied, and verify before filing that appeal rights have actually accrued and have not expired.