NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
Summer of storms: Your quick guide to preparing for La Niña
This summer’s forecast? Heavy rainfall, storms, flooding – with the occasional tropical cyclone. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has declared that the La Niña weather event is underway again and will continue throughout the remainder of summer 2020-21. Here’s...
The sea is claiming NSW properties: Can councils be held liable?
New South Wales beaches are always in a state of flux. Sand naturally migrates along the coastline thanks to a combination of wind and wave activity. This seemingly benign phenomenon isn’t such a pleasant reality for owners of top-priced waterfront properties. Storm...
How to prepare for this year’s looming grassfire season
While Australia’s devastating bushfires make international headlines, our grassfires often go underreported. Yet they can be just as devastating to townships. This is because bushfires typically happen in remote, dispersed communities, whereas grassfires take hold in...
Sink or swim? Your guide for re-opening pool facilities
As we roll into spring and temperatures start rising, our communities start counting down the days until they can take a dip in their local pool. However, before your council prepares to open its doors to the eager public, it’s vital you’ve completed the necessary...
Case Note: Polglase v Coffs Harbour City Council (No. 2) [2019] NSWCA 1848
Case Note prepared by Mills Oakley. On 30 September 2011 Tedmund Polglase, who was then five years of age, was walking along Coffs Harbour Jetty with his grandparents when he fell from the jetty to the sand below, a distance of approximately four metres. The jetty was...
A moment in time: How NSW councils are coming together to navigate COVID-19 challenges
Councils across NSW are in the process of reopening their public facilities. So, once again, they’re having to overcome novel challenges when it comes to managing COVID-19 risk in their communities. Disease spread, cleaning and logistics, to name a few. Robert...