A guide through the maze of planning law in Queensland

This page provides links to material used in a free public workshop, “A guide through the maze of planning law in Queensland,” held by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO Qld) on 22 June 2019 in Brisbane.

The workshop included 5 short lectures on the following topics:

• A quick roadmap for Queensland’s planning and other environmental laws – how everything fits together
• Not black magic: practical tips for statutory interpretation – how to avoid being overwhelmed by complexity
• Navigating planning schemes – a helpful overview of where to look for what you need to know in a planning scheme
• Development assessment – understanding the various stages of development assessment
• Practical tips for taking action to protect the environment in court – what to know about your rights to go to court on planning matters

The recording of the forth workshop has now been replaced with a (better) lecture on the development assessment system delivered for a course taught at the University of Queensland in 2020.

The references have also been updated with a later edition of Synopsis of the Queensland Environmental Legal System (7th ed).

The workshop linked to and discussed how existing online materials for community education can be improved, particularly:

• EDO’s factsheets;
• EDO Community Litigants Handbook, an invaluable guide to planning appeals; and
• the Queensland Law Handbook chapter on environmental law.

Lecture 1 – A quick roadmap for Qld’s planning laws

• Handout 1 – Major pieces of the Queensland environmental legal system
• Slides for lecture 1
• Case study used in lecture: “Champagne flutes” appeal
• Reference: Synopsis of the Queensland Environmental Legal System (7th ed, 2020).

Lecture 2 – Statutory interpretation

• Handout 2 – Core skills for statutory interpretation by non-lawyers in Queensland
• Slides for lecture 2
• Case study used in lecture: Pelican Links cases

Lecture 3 – Navigating planning schemes

• Slides for lecture 3

Lecture 4 – Development assessment

Note: the original workshop recording on development assessment has been replaced by a (better) lecture delivered in 2020 for a course at the University of Queensland (it was lecture 3 in the course).

• Slides for DA lecture (in 2020)
• Handout for lecture

Also, here is a super short (10 minute) summary of the DA system:

Lecture 5 – Taking action

• Slides for lecture 5