Allens Arthur Robinson

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The Queensland Government has announced stamp duty changes that have the potential to impact significantly on any transactions that directly or indirectly deal with exploration permits or authorities to prospect. Partner Katrina Parkyn spoke to Boardroom Radio on the changes, which reverse the previous rules whereby these transfers were not dutiable

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Floating LNG will be one of the important topics to be discussed at next week's World Deepwater Summit in Shanghai. Partner Darren Murphy, who will be presenting at the summit, spoke to Boardroom Radio about the outlook for floating LNG in Asia

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The demand for oil and gas continues unabated in the Asia region. Regional Oil and Gas Partner Anthony Patten spoke to Boardroom Radio about the outlook and challenges for the oil and gas industry

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The Federal Parliament has passed legislation to establish an Australian carbon pricing scheme, which will operate initially like a carbon tax, with a fixed (but increasing) carbon permit price, and will then transition into a cap and trade scheme after three years. Partner Grant Anderson and Lawyer Fergus Green report on this historic development

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The Australian Securities Exchange has released a Consultation and Issues Paper that proposes reforms to the disclosure rules for energy and resources companies. Partners Scott Langford and Igor Bogdanich spoke to Boardroom Radio about the possible ramifications for mining and oil and gas companies if the proposals are adopted

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Licenced waterusers in Western Australia should be aware that the WA Department of Water is reviewing its current water allocation policy. Partner Jodi Reinmuth and Special Counsel Robyn Glindemann look at the Department's recently released discussion paper on the issue

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The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency has released exposure draft regulations to establish the assistance program under which free carbon units issued pursuant to the carbon pricing scheme will be provided to emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries. Partner Grant Anderson reports

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Following the recent release of both its climate change policy, Securing a clean energy future: The Australian Government's climate change plan, and exposure draft legislation to implement its proposed carbon pricing scheme, the Federal Government has introduced its clean energy legislation package into the House of Representatives. Partner Grant Anderson reports on the principal differences between the exposure draft legislation and the legislation package as introduced into Parliament

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The International Monetary Fund has predicted that the Mongolian economy will this year grow faster than that of China, driven by a surge in international investment. Partners Erin Feros and Igor Bogdanich speak to Boardroom Radio about the opportunities and legal framework that go with investing in Mongolia

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The shale gas industry is currently booming in the United States. Partner Darren Murphy spoke to Boardroom Radio about the industry's prospects in the Asia Pacific, in particular Australia, China and Indonesia

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The Federal Government has released exposure draft legislation to establish its proposed carbon pricing scheme. Partner Grant Anderson identifies the entities that will be directly liable under the scheme and outlines some of the issues to be considered in structuring a corporate group's carbon liability

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The Federal Government has introduced legislation that would establish two regulators for the offshore oil and gas sector. Igor Bogdanich speaks to Boardroom Radio about the structure of the proposed regulators and how this will impact on the sector

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Last week, Shell announced its final decision on its Prelude Floating LNG project in Australia. Partner Darren Murphy speaks to Boardroom Radio about the importance of that announcement for the sector overall, and what we expect to see next in Australia and Asia

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The Queensland Government has passed legislation to ensure sufficient gas is reserved for Queensland and Australian markets. Partner John Greig speaks to Boardroom Radio about the impact the new law will have on the domestic market

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The Federal Government announced a range of changes to renewable energy programs in last night's Federal Budget. Partner Grant Anderson speaks to Boardroom Radio about these changes and how this will affect the renewables sector in Australia

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The Australian Energy Market Commission recently issued a Draft Rule and Draft Rule Determination on scale efficient network extensions. While the purpose of this was to facilitate more efficiently the connection of renewable and lower-emissions energy sources to the electricity grid, the adopted solution is considerably more conservative than the one the Ministerial Council on Energy originally proposed. Partner Anna Collyer and Lawyer Fergus Green report.

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As the Federal Government has accepted all the Policy Transition Group's recommendations relating to the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, the proposed legislation's design principles are now clear, and an exposure draft should be available for comment in mid 2011. Partners Grant Cathro and Katrina Parkyn report

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The Australian Securities and Investment Commission has released an additional consultation paper and a draft regulatory guide on disclosure obligations of infrastructure entities to retail investors, and is now seeking further submissions. Partners Andrew Mansour and Campbell Davidson and Lawyer Michael Tollman report

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A recent Federal Court decision highlights the difficulties that can be encountered in trying to define the taxing point in a manner that is capable of applying to a wide variety of different projects. The case could also prove instructive for those drafting the Minerals Resource Rent Tax legislation. Partner Grant Cathro reports

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The recent cancellation of a petroleum exploration permit covering acreage off the Western Australian coast may indicate a shift towards stricter enforcement of the 'minimum work' and 'minimum expenditure' conditions commonly found in petroleum exploration permits. Partner Igor Bogdanich and Senior Associate Alison Baxter look at the implications.

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The Western Australian Office of Energy has recently released a directions paper that invites public and industry submissions on a range of proposed strategies aimed at improving energy supply, delivery, use and planning in Western Australia over the 20-year period to 2031. Senior Associate Alison Baxter and Lawyer Jessica Ham report

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A recent amendment to all Victorian Planning Schemes will significantly change the landscape for assessing and approving wind farm projects in Victoria. Amendment VC78 has the potential to limit development of further wind farms in Victoria and may also impact on already approved wind farms if changes are required to plans or conditions. Partner Chris Schulz and Senior Associate Meg Lee report

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The economic environment for the oil and gas sector in Asia is improving post-GFC. Partner Darren Murphy speaks to Boardroom Radio about the recent developments and opportunities in this sector

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New Queensland legislation will trade off greater protection of groundwater resources against greater regulation and compliance costs for petroleum tenure holders. Partner Bill McCredie and Lawyer Michael Zissis look at the legislation, which is partly aimed at resolving some of the issues associated with the increasingly rapid growth of the liquefied natural gas industry

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The inquiry into Australia's worst oil spill to date is not only critical of the company that operated the well but also the regulatory body responsible for overseeing its operations. Partner Igor Bogdanich and Law Graduate Robert Merriam look at the recommendations of the Report of the Montara Commission of Inquiry and the Federal Government's draft response

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A new Bill amends the key legislation regulating upstream petroleum activities onshore in Western Australia and in WA waters up to three nautical miles from the coast. Partner Gerard Woods, Senior Associate Alison Baxter and Lawyer Jackson Allen report

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Last week, the Gillard Government announced its election promises, including its intention to introduce various measures designed to promote energy efficiency in business and industry. In part one of this Focus Partner Chris Schulz and Lawyer Nadia Harrison outline policy announcements on coal-fired power stations, light vehicles and tax deductions for expenditure on commercial buildings. In part two theyprovide an update on the progress of the recently enacted energy efficiency disclosure regime for commercial buildings

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The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which makes many changes to US corporations law, was signed into law by US President Barack Obama on 21 July 2010. Partner Annette Hughes and Lawyer Swee Leng Harris look at the operation and effect of section 1504 of the Act and what the new disclosure requirements imposed by that section mean for resources companies

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An important aspect of any liquefied natural gas sale and purchase agreement is the extent to which it allows parties to divert LNG cargoes from their original contract destination. Partner Darren Murphy and Senior Associate Alison Baxter consider such diversion rights in light of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators' model LNG sale and purchase agreement

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The far-reaching Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) is due to come into force in May 2011 and businesses operating in the mining and petroleum sectors will be affected. It covers a wide range of transactions, not just security interests. It is not limited to consumer transactions, and significantly alters aspects of commercial law and contracts law. Partners David Maloney and Diccon Loxton report on how the changes will affect the mining and petroleum industries

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The loss of momentum post-Copenhagen does not necessarily mean all carbon pollution reduction activity has stalled. Partner Anna Collyer and Law Graduate Natasha McNamara report on legislation that splits Australia's enhanced Renewable Energy Target scheme into separate large and small-scale schemes

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After weeks of debate and negotiation, the Federal Government has made significant changes to its proposed Resources Super Profits Tax. Partner Katrina Parkyn speaks to Boardroom Radio about the changes to the tax, now known as the Minerals Resource Rent Tax

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While debate continues over the merits of a Resource Super Profits Tax, a similar tax placed on petroleum projects has been in place in Australia for more than two decades. Partner Grant Cathro speaks to Boardroom Radio about the lessons that can be learned from the construction and implementation of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax

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With last week's announcement by the Federal Government that the carbon pollution reduction scheme will not be introduced until at least 2013, regulatory initiatives designed to promote energy efficiency are likely to play an even greater role in Australian climate change policy.As part of our series on energy efficiency, we outline some recent developmentsin the building sector and the work of the Prime Minister's Task Group on Energy Efficiency

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The Henry Tax Review has outlined the need for a tax on super profits generated by mining and resources companies. Partner Grant Cathro speaks to Boardroom Radio about how the tax will work and the potential implications

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The United States Congress is currently considering legislation that will require extractives companies to report on the payments they make to foreign governments in the countries in which they operate. This development comes in the context of increasing international pressures for greater transparency and accountability in revenue flows to government received from the extractive industries. Partner Annette Hughes, Senior Associate Rachel Nicolson and Lawyer Dora Banyasz report

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New legislation was introduced into Federal Parliament recently which, if passed, would impose energy related disclosure obligations on those offering to sell, lease or sub-lease office buildings of 2000m2 or more. This Focus is the first in a series on the Federal Government's policies to promote energy efficiency. Partner Chris Schulz and Lawyer Nadia Harrison report

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The Queensland Government has recently released guidelines and model conditions pertaining to the environmental aspects of coal seam water use from gas projects. Partner Bill McCredie speaks to Boardroom Radio about the new guidelines and the opportunities for the use of water stemming from coal seam gas projects

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The Federal Government has announced significant changes to the Renewable Energy Target scheme that will split the scheme into small and large project schemes. Partner Anna Collyer speaks to Boardroom Radio about the impact of these changes on large renewable energy projects and the Federal Government's renewable energy targets

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A rebounding economy and an influx of public and private funding is expected to fuel an upsurge in major projects activity. Partner and head of the Projects practice group Michael Hollingdale speaks to Boardroom Radio about the geographic areas and sectors expected to see the most project activity and the impact this will have on the funding and contracting for project delivery

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Changes to the Renewable Energy Target scheme announced by the Federal Government will help progress projects to develop wind, solar and geothermal energy that have been on hold. Partner Grant Anderson and Lawyer Nick Buttner report

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Strategic Energy Initiative 2030, a discussion paper that aims to deliver a framework to secure Western Australia's long-term energy needs, has been released. Partner Angus Jones and Senior Associate Valeria Cooney report on the start of a challenging process

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The WA Gas Supply and Emergency Management Committee has published its report to Government, which provides recommendations for managing future gas supply disruptions in WA and mitigating their impact. Partner Darren Murphy and Lawyer Robert French report.

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The Federal Government has released a pre-deployment report and draft guidelines as the next step in Australia's first commercial-scale smart grid demonstration project. The Smart Grid, Smart City project will be implemented in partnership with the energy sector and is also likely to have important synergies with the roll-out of the national broadband network. Partner Ian McGill, Lawyer Valeska Bloch and Law Graduate Joel Barrett report

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The recent Federal Government decision to green light the massive Gorgon energy project may serve as a signpost for getting future resources projects off the ground around Australia as the global economy continues to recover. Partner Angus Jones speaks to Boardroom Radio about some of the implications coming out of the decision

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The Senate has passed legislation to implement Australia's new expanded national renewable energy target scheme. Partner Grant Anderson and Lawyer Ben Strate report

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Partner Darren Murphy and Law Graduate Joseph Freeman report on the recently released review of the approvals processes for petroleum and mining projects in Western Australia

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The exposure draft of the National Gas (Short Term Trading Market) Amendment Rules was released on 23 July. They will amend the National Gas Rules to provide for the operation of a short term trading market for gas, initially in Sydney and Adelaide, from mid-2010. Special Counsel Louise Thomson and Lawyer Jaclyn Godina look at the rules and the key features of the new market

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The Senate Standing Committee on Economics and the Senate Select Committee on Climate Policy have handed down their reports on the Federal Government's legislation to implement its proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. These reports reflect the seemingly entrenched views of political players who will determine the fate of the legislation when it is voted on in August, and underscore the likelihood that the Senate will not pass the legislation in its current form - at least this time around. We also look at the greenhouse gas legislation that has recently been passed by the US House of Representatives