September 1, 2025
Welcome to the September edition of Projects & Construction Monthly.
This edition addresses:
- Recent Construction News;
- Report No. 10, 58th Parliament – Queensland Building and Construction Commission and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025;
- Brisbane Home Show;
- LPC Lawyers’ recently completed article ‘Liquidated Damages or Liquidated Leverage’; and
- Opportunities to join the LPC Lawyers’ team.
Recent Construction News
Northshore Hamilton
Economic Development Queensland (‘EDQ’) is currently inviting responses and feedback in relation to the Northshore Hamilton PDA – Proposed Development Scheme Amendment No. 2. As the largest waterfront urban renewal project in Queensland, with a significant role in shaping Brisbane’s future, EDQ is updating the PDA Development Scheme to better reflect community expectations, industry feedback, and government priorities.
Broadly, the proposed changes include further parking and access, improved sustainability and liveability, increased housing diversity and supply, as well as better design quality and innovation. Public submissions close on 19 September 2025. For more information on the proposed changes, see here.
Tagigan Road Widening Project – Gympie Regional Council
Set to commence this month, the Tagigan Road Widening Project will enhance a 2.3km section between Tin Can Bay Road and Nall Road to improve road safety and functionality. Works include widening the existing road, stormwater drainage improvements, vegetation clearing and other associated construction activities.
It is estimated that works will be finished by mid-2026 if the weather permits. During this period, construction will be undertaken between 6:00am and 6:00pm, and while Gympie Regional Council has advised that traffic disruptions will be minimised, drivers in this area may experience occasional delays. For more updates on this project, see here.
Brisbane Olympics – Signing of IGA
The Intergovernmental Agreement (‘IGA’) for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics venue infrastructure was signed by the Australian and Queensland Governments on 20 August 2025. Notably, the Australian Government has allocated a capped contribution of $3.435 billion to the $7.1 billion Games Venue Infrasturcture Program, which will see 17 new or upgraded venues delivered across Queensland.
“This milestone comes as we continue to focus on building the infrastructure needed to deliver the best Games ever and showcase Queensland on the world stage”, said Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie.
However, the IGA expressly provided for the following requirements:
- the Queensland Government will manage projects with a view to maintain stakeholder and community support;
- a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan be developed and delivered for the Victoria Park Precinct and a new Precinct Plan, with a focus on improving access to green space; and
- Commonwealth representatives be included on the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee Board.
Further details on the signing of the IGA can be found here.
Report No. 10, 58th Parliament – Queensland Building and Construction Commission and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
On 15 August 2025, the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee (‘the Committee’) tabled its Report No. 10 (‘the Report’) in relation to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 (‘the Bill’). In recommending that the Bill be passed, the Committee recognised the need to modernise the regulatory framework for the QBCC by supporting it to deliver more services digitally and streamline workplace safety in Queensland’s building and construction industry by amending how industry reports serious safety matters. Specifically, amendments include:
- removal of the requirement for a QBCC licence to be issued as a hard copy card;
- introducing a pathway to serve documents digitally;
- not requiring QBCC licensees to notify the QBCC of a safety matter if they are required to notify the regulator under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (‘WHS Act’) or Electrical Safety Act 2002 (‘ES Act’); and
- making changes to the notification processes under the WHS Act or ES Act to ensure the regulator under the WHS Act or ES Act can promptly provide appropriate information to the QBCC about serious safety matters on building sites through information-sharing arrangements.
The above amendments represent the third tranche of the ‘Building Regulation Renovation’ package of reforms, which seeks to improve productivity within the Queensland building and construction industry while maintaining efficiency, risk-based regulatory effort and appropriate building standards.
While the Report will be debated in the Legislative Assembly in due course, you can view the report here.
Brisbane Home Show – QBCC
The Brisbane Home Show is a bi-annual event where participants may explore hundreds of home related products, exclusive show specials, attend free seminars and gain insights from top Australian renovation and building experts. It is also an opportunity for the QBCC to showcase its services and provide valuable information on compliance, building standards, and best practices.
The event is free and will be held from 19 September 2025 to 21 September 2025, between 9:00am and 5:00pm. For more information, see here.
LPC Lawyers’ Recently Completed Article ‘Liquidated Damages or Liquidated Leverage’
Liquidated damages quantify delay with certainty; yet in today’s tight construction market, they are often wielded as leverage. This article maps the guardrails – the penalty doctrine and the prevention principle (including concurrency) – and distils them into practical takeaways for principals and contractors. Read more here.
LPC Lawyers’ Continued Expansion
LPC Lawyers is looking to hire with opportunities for growth in our expanding practice.
Litigation Lawyers (1-3 years PAE)
Working closely with an ex-top tier partner, this role is ideal for a candidate who is highly motivated and has experience in drafting correspondence, simple pleadings, briefs for Counsel, and some client advisory work.
For more information about our current opportunities visit our website here or to apply, please email your resume and cover letter to Jenna at Jenna@lpclawyers.com.