Posts by stokeslawyers
2022 Queensland Land Valuations – do you need to object?
The 2022 Queensland Land Valuations were released yesterday, 31 March 2022. You can find further information about your land valuation here New valuations for properties in Queensland The local government areas being revalued include: Boulia, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Burke, Cairns, Carpentaria, Cassowary Coast, Croydon, Douglas, Etheridge, Fraser Coast, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Gympie, Ipswich, Livingstone, Lockyer Valley,…
Read MoreProbuild Collapse and Sub-contractor Recovery Options
On 24 February 2022 builder Probuild was placed in administration. This leaves in the vicinity of $5b worth of building projects in limbo around the country. While the administrators, Deloitte, attempt to secure a new owner for the business and therefore achieve completion of the 18 major building projects that are now in limbo, sub-contractors…
Read MoreLogan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project – Funding Commitment Announced by the Queensland Government
Recently the Queensland Government committed $1.121 billion in funding to deliver the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project. The project is expected to have a total cost of $2.598 billion. A copy of the media release can be found here If your property is affected by the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail Project,…
Read MoreHigh Court clarifies whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor
Earlier this month the High Court delivered two highly anticipated decisions regarding whether a worker was an employee or an independent contractor. The High Court took a traditional contract interpretation approach and in doing so applied its reasoning in the Workpac v. Rossatto decision from August last year. Rossatto was a decision in relation to…
Read MoreMajor Amendments proposed for the Logan Planning Scheme 2015
Logan City Council (Council) is proposing four major amendments to the Logan Planning Scheme (Planning Scheme), being: Health care service amendment (view Explanatory Report) Housing and lot diversity amendment (view Explanatory Report) Major planning scheme amendment 2021 (view Explanatory Report) Mixed use amendment (view Explanatory Report). Have your say Council is inviting your feedback on the proposed changes from Monday…
Read MoreHow Much Can a Koala Bear? Koala Protection Measures in SEQ
Development in mapped koala areas has become a complex framework, meaning that developers and consultants need to have significant knowledge about the koala protection framework in order to make developments feasible. This article will give a brief overview of the koala protection framework. Introduction of koala protection measures The introduction of the koala protection measures…
Read MoreIs your property affected by the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail Project?
If you have received a letter from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), identifying your property as being impacted by the proposed Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail Project (Project), contact us today to have a chat about your options. The compulsory acquisition process can be stressful and complex. Our specialist lawyers aim…
Read MoreChallenging conditions of approval … what are my options?
You have received your development approval from Council, but you are not happy with some of the conditions Council has imposed. There are options available to challenge those conditions. The conditions of a development approval form an integral part of the development approval, together with the approved plans and documents. Applicant’s should ensure that…
Read MoreCasual Employees – A Permanent Solution?
In June last year we reported on the decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court in WorkPac Pty Ltd v. Rossato. The Full Court Decision In that case the Full Court found that Mr Rossato was a permanent employee in circumstances where: The contract described him as a casual; He had worked for…
Read MoreTrunk vs. Non-Trunk Infrastructure and Conversion Applications
The Planning Act 2016 (Planning Act) gives applicants the ability to apply to Council to convert non-trunk infrastructure required by a condition of approval to trunk infrastructure. What this means is that you may be entitled to either an offset or refund for providing trunk infrastructure, as required by the conditions of approval of your…
Read MoreEnvironmental offsets: an overview of process
Many local governments, including many in Central Queensland, do not currently impose conditions in their development approvals in relation to environmental offsets. Part of the reason for this is that environmental offsets are not widely understood by local governments, despite the fact that Councils can impose conditions for environmental offsets due to their Biodiversity overlay…
Read MoreIt’s not the end of the road if your development approval has lapsed
It’s that heart wrenching moment and panic that we all want to avoid as either developers or consultants when you realise your development approval has lapsed. That panic really sets in when it occurs to you that you never lodged an extension application (usually with the Council) before the development approval lapsed. As most of…
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