About Madeline
Madeline is a leading Queensland environmental lawyer with more than 25 years experience. Achieving practical and commercial outcomes for her clients, Madeline is an expert in managing risks associated with environmental issues, environmental and climate law reform, energy transition and the Commonwealth Government’s Nature Positive commitment.
Madeline acts for clients across a broad range of sectors including resources, renewable energy, major projects, infrastructure, property development, water, transport, government, the industrial sector and insolvency practitioners appointed to companies carrying significant environmental risk.
She provides strategic advice in relation to planning and environmental approvals pathways, environmental impact assessment, biodiversity and carbon offsets, environmental compliance, enforcement and incident response, environmental liability risk transfer, contaminated land including emerging contaminants such as PFAS, carbon projects such as carbon capture and storage and regeneration, climate change risk, ESG and cultural heritage obligations.
She has extensive experience in Land Court proceedings, defending environmental prosecutions and Planning and Environment Court proceedings. She practised in commercial litigation for more than 8 years before specialising in Planning and Environment law.
Specialisations
Experience
Due diligence and Transaction Documents
Advising on environmental and planning aspects of asset/share sale M&A transactions including approvals and development constraints, vegetation, land contamination, heritage offsets and environmental liability risk transfer.
Major Projects Delivery
Advising on approvals strategies, environmental impact assessment and securing offsets to facilitate the delivery of major projects, including resources, energy, water, road and rail projects.
Carbon and Energy Transition Projects
Securing and advising on approvals for carbon projects under the Commonwealth carbon legislation and advising on carbon offsets, together with State legislation.
Compliance and incident management
Advising clients on incident response, compliance risk, notification requirements and responding to regulatory investigations across numerous sectors including mining and resources, energy and waste.
Climate Change Risk and ESG
Advising various clients on climate change risk and ESG risk management.
Contaminated Land
Advising clients across a broad range of sectors on managing contaminated land risk, including in relation to emerging contaminants such as PFAS, liability allocation and transfer, and removal of contaminated sites from the State registers.
Regulatory Enforcement
Acting for global and national clients in the mining and energy sectors in relation to enforcement action taking by the environmental regulator including defending statutory notices, civil proceedings and prosecutions.
Mining and Resources
Advising numerous mining and resources clients on approvals strategies for greenfield projects and expansions, including EPBC Act, stakeholder management, offsets, incident management, regulatory compliance, financial assurance, rehabilitation and PRCP, surrender and mine closure planning.
Executive Officer Liability
Advising directors and executive officers (including insolvency practitioners) on personal liability, providing environmental training and assisting with risk mitigation.
Disputes
Acting in judicial review proceedings, defending environmental prosecutions and civil environmental enforcement Court proceedings, acting in Land Court proceedings in relation to mining objections hearings and appealing financial assurance decisions.
Government
Advising the State Government on approvals for strategic developments, chain of responsibility legislation and environmental law reform.
Renewable Energy Projects
Advising clients on approvals strategies for wind, solar, battery, conventional and pumped hydro, hydrogen and bioenergy projects and defending/bringing Court challenges.