Szabo & Associates News & Updates

The recent decision of the NSW's Land and Environment Court has had global reverberations and environmental groups applauding. In Gloucester Resources Ltd v Minister for Planning, the Court considered a request for approval of a proposed coal mine. They considered this in the context of emissions of greenhouse gases and their effect on climate change, the impact on existing, approved and preferred uses of land in the vicinity, and the social implications it would have on the environs and the Aboriginal community.

The recent decision in Kai Ling v Rosengreen considered whether an option to purchase land had been successfully novated in favour of a substituted grantee.

According to a new survey from the Tenants’ Union of NSW and Marrickville Legal Centre, three-quarters of NSW renters have not reported a problem with their property to their respective landlord because they fear of being evicted on a ‘no grounds’ basis.

Over one million social and affordable homes are required by 2036 across Australia to address the increasing shortfall - 36,400 social housing properties and 14,800 affordable rental homes per year - according to a recent report by the UNSW City Futures Research Centre and Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW.

With 64 per cent of homes testing positive for drug residue in the past year, the State Government sets to consider mandatory screening on rental properties contaminated with methamphetamine. According to the Real Estate Institute of Australia, the move to test whether properties have been used as drug labs or have residue from meth use, would be a first for Australia.