Government & Administrative Law

We have a respected history of advising clients in relation to complex administrative law matters.

Our experience extends from New South Wales to Western Australia and covers State and Commonwealth jurisdictions. Our judicial review work has covered high profile matters such as overturning the land acquisition for the James Price Point gas hub in the Kimberley, to ATSIC’s decision to spend almost all of its land acquisition funds in the Northern Territory. For many years the firm was alone in having assisted clients to obtain injunctions to protect their native title.

A significant number of the firm’s clients are statutory authorities or bodies exercising statutory powers, including local government bodies, Aboriginal Land Councils and the Commonwealth.

The range of administrative and public law work which the firm regularly undertakes includes:

• Judicial review proceedings (for both applicants and respondents);
• Freedom of information applications and appeals;
• Merit reviews of planning and land claim decisions;
• Policy development and legislative drafting;
• Representation before Parliamentary inquiries;
• Submission writing;
• Organisational reviews and investigations; and
• Statutory interpretation and advising.

Members of our firm are widely respected in the field of administrative and public law. Andrew Chalk is currently the Secretary of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law and Deputy Chair of the Law Society of New South Wales’ Public Law Committee. Other Directors of the firm are members of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law.