The role of Local Government within the property space continues to evolve through these unprecedented times.
The lawyers at Russell Kennedy would like to extend an invitation to the Local Government Property Spring Roadshow webinar series, which will take place as back to back sessions across three Friday's in October and November, starting on Friday 8 October 2021.
Each session will be presented by a group of Russell Kennedy’s expert local government lawyers. The webinars will provide Council officers with valuable knowledge that is integral to local government property transactions.
With each webinar session, we are providing the opportunity to submit your questions, before the webinar and during the webinar in our interactive Q&A format.
Click on a session below to read more and register:
In this webinar, our expert panel will provide Council officers with an overview of the most recent amendments to the Retail Leases Act 2003 (Vic) and case law developments in this area.
Our panel will look to explore the key changes effected by the Retail Leases Amendment Act 2020 (Vic), including:
- Disclosure Statements
- Options to Renew - notification and commencement
- Essential Safety Measures
- Security Deposits
- Case law and VCAT updates
This session will be presented by Principals Emma Dunlevie and Samantha Taylor, and Associates Melanie Young and Janelle Oh. Samantha will also be facilitating this session.
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM AEDT
Date: Friday 15 October 2021
Register for session 1 here
COVID-19 has significantly impacted the commercial tenancy market, with many tenants seeking to reduce their tenancy holdings.
This session will explore options available to Councils, when acting as either property owner or tenant, in circumstances where a party is seeking to divest its leasehold interests, including:
- Surrenders of Lease
- Assignments of Lease
- Subletting
- Divestment and incentive or rent deferral issues
This session will give Council officers an understanding of the legal framework pertaining to divesting leasehold interests, including the options available to the parties and practical considerations.
This session will be presented by Principals Emma Dunlevieand Samantha Taylor, and Associates Melanie Young and Janelle Oh. Samantha will also be facilitating this session.
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM AEDT
Date: Friday 15 October 2021
Register for session 2 here
In this webinar, Russell Kennedy’s experienced Local Government team will provide an update on where the staged implementation of the Local Government Act 2020 is up to, and discuss property issues encountered to date.
Join this interactive panel session to gain a greater understanding of the Local Government Act 2020, including:
- Instruments of delegation – a new flexibility
- Community engagement – how is it working in practice
- Road discontinuances (straddling both 1989 and 2020 Acts),
- What parts remain to be implemented?
This session will be presented by Special Counsel Michael Dowling, and Senior Associates Kate Bartlett and Shaun Burmester. Michael will facilitate this session.
Gain a practical understanding on property compliance issues arising under the Local Government Act 2020.
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM AEDT
Date: Friday 22 October 2021
Register for session 3 here
The Superintendent has an important role under construction contracts but one that is often misunderstood. They can act in two fundamental but distinctive roles. On one hand, they act as an agent of the Principal and the other is to act as a certifier under the contract. It is important that both the Superintendent and the Principal understand the differences between these two roles and the other duties that the Superintendent has when administering a contract.
In this webinar we will look to explore:
- The scope of the Superintendent’s duties
- How contract administration is treated in the main standard form construction contracts
- The dual roles of the Superintendent in acting as the client's agent and acting as valuer, assessor, and certifier
- The interplay between the contract the Superintendent is engaged under and the contract they administer
- Knowledge of the law required by a Superintendent
- Superintendent's role when disputes arise
- Liability and insurance issues
This session will be presented by Principal, Kyle Gillan and Senior Associate Michael Bragg. Special Counsel Michael Dowling will facilitate the session.
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:45 AM AEDT
Date: Friday 22 October 2021
Register for session 4 here
In this webinar, Russell Kennedy’s experienced Local Government team will provide a session around identifying the legal issues with the provision of Social and Affordable Housing, and how to address them.
Join this interactive panel session for an in-depth look at the legal and practical issues to be encountered by Councils in this housing space, including:
- Housing types and terminology
- Government funding
- The procurement of social and affordable housing outcomes
- Current and future developments in this sector
This session will be presented by Special Counsel Michael Dowling, and Senior Associate Shaun Burmester. Michael will facilitate this session.
The session will be interactive and we encourage questions throughout the presentation, there will be time following the presentation for additional discussion and Q&A.
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM AEDT
Date: Friday 22 October 2021
Register for session 5 here
In this webinar, Stefan Fiedler will explore Councils' obligations managed contaminated land. Environment protection legislation imposes statutory duties manage contaminated land, including in particular circumstances disclosure to the Environment Protection Authority. Failure to discharge these duties is now actionable by eligible persons for civil remedies without the necessity of intervention by the Environment Protection Authority.
Join this webinar to learn a greater understanding of new duties and strategies to protect Councils' and its community's interests, including:
- Reformed Environment Protection legislation.
- Discharging the statutory duties.
- Approaches to mitigate Councils' liability and protect Councils' interest utilising expert services retained under legal professional privilege.
This session will be presented by Principal Stefan Fiedler and Special Counsel Michael Dowling. Michael will also be facilitating this session.
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM AEDT
Date: Friday 5 November 2021
Register for session 6 here
Webinar Details
We are utilising Zoom to run these webinars. Zoom is free to download and can be viewed from your PC/mobile device.
Attendees will be sent a link to log into the live webinar upon registration.
COST: These webinars are free to attend but bookings are essential as places are limited.
Register for the roadshow here
Presenters: