There is no evidence that sensible economic developments are being hindered by vexatious environmental litigation, according to Justice Rachel Pepper of the NSW Land and Environment Court.
As new Federal Court proceedings allege Tasmania's forest agreement isn't valid under the EPBC Act, the timber industry has urged governments to legislate to block similar cases.
A court has refused a claim by a farming family for almost $700,000 in damages after a gas company's environmental scientists reported finding a vulnerable species of tree on their property.
A company that received EPBC approval to clear vegetation for sand mining has been blocked by the Western Australian Supreme Court, which upheld a state government ministerial decision to refuse permission for clearing.
The impact of Victoria's bushfires on threatened species might justify applying the precautionary principle in a more expansive way, the state's Supreme Court has ruled.
A Supreme Court judge has described as 'extraordinary' the NT EPA's handling of a land-clearing project that would add significantly to the Territory's greenhouse gas emissions.