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John Taberner
Consultant, Sydney
Phone +61 2 9225 5427
Fax +61 2 9322 4000
john.taberner@freehills.com

Current practice

John has extensive experience advising a wide range of clients on all aspects of environmental law, in particular planning and pollution control law. John also has extensive experience with the Kyoto Protocol as relevant to Australia, and analysis of Australian State-based carbon sequestration legislation and the various carbon accounting measures.

John is a director of Annual Report Awards Inc which established, and for the past eight years has administered, Australia's only award for excellence in environment reporting. John also served for four years as Secretary of the National Environmental Law Association of Australia.

Industry experience

Infrastructure property related experience
  • adviser to the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority on the M2, M4 and M5 toll road projects
  • adviser to a consortium bidding for the Western Sydney Orbital project
  • adviser to the Darling Harbour Authority on the Darling Harbour redevelopment
  • adviser to Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority in relation to the redevelopment of the Rocks precinct in Sydney
  • adviser to the New South Wales Government in relation to the Woolloomooloo and Walsh Bay wharf projects.
Greenhouse projects and clients
  • adviser to the Australian Greenhouse Office on the strategic legal issues concerning establishment of the national 'Bush for Greenhouse' Program
  • adviser to N M Rothchild & Sons (Australia) Limited on their position under the Financial Services Reform Act 2001 (Cth) concerning Rothchild's proposed entry into a futures market for Renewable Energy Credits
  • adviser to the New South Wales Ministry of Energy and Utilities on matters concerning the Government's recently announced 'greenhouse gas penalty' initiatives for energy retailers
  • adviser to Western Power on international and national emissions trading schemes
  • adviser to AGL on the drafting of a generic agreement for the sale and purchase of 'green credits'.

Professional background

John graduated from Sydney University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons), in 1980 with a Master of Arts (Hons) and in 1982 with a Bachelor of Laws. In 1985 he completed a Masters of Comparative Law (Environmental Law) at the George Washington University in Washington DC, USA.