Exploring planning, environment, and local government law issues in New South Wales
This case explains how agencies should assess whether dealing with a GIPA request would require an unreasonable and substantial diversion of resources.
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Legal professional privilege remains a powerful reason to refuse access under the GIPA Act, including where the advice comes from in-house council lawyers.
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Two common GIPA issues are considered – what counts as reasonable searches for documents, and how legal professional privilege applies.
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Access a concise summary of the planning reforms introduced in January 2026.
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When information is released, it is treated as disclosure to the public at large, not just to the person who made the application.
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Can you consolidate lots, redraw them, and still call it a “boundary adjustment”? The Land and Environment Court says no.
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A dispute over whether a development consent had lapsed turned on the precise wording of a deferred commencement condition.
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A modification approval unravelled after the Court found the council assessed it under the wrong DCP.
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In the first decision interpreting the Recognise Country Guidelines, the Court confirmed that Aboriginal cultural heritage considerations must meaningfully inform a development’s design at DA stage.
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Even where a landowner fails to beat the Valuer-General’s determination, the Court may still award them costs.
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The Development Site 