Majella Pollard is a member of the Government Services Group.
Majella regularly provides urgent complex legal advice on major projects and has worked on a variety of major government infrastructure projects, providing legal advice on the front end approval processes and land requirements, including native title issues. She is also experienced with undertaking Land Court litigation.
At the beginning of her career, Majella worked primarily in property, litigation and employment law. She also worked for more than a year as the Associate to the Honourable Justice Kiefel in the Supreme Court and the Federal Court. Majella has a thorough understanding of government from her time at Crown Law acting on behalf of Queensland Government departments and agencies, and since 2004 at Clayton Utz.
Majella shares her knowledge with clients in valuable workshops offered through Clayton Utz Training Program.
Expertise
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Government Services
- Rail infrastructure projects: Majella has been involved on recent rail and light rail developments in South East Queensland including the Gold Coast Rapid Transit Project (GCRT), the Moreton Bay Rail Link Project, the Darra to Springfield Rail Project and the proposed Cross River Rail project. She has assisted on land acquisition issues, access for early works issues, and hardship acquisition issues.
- Motorway upgrade projects: Majella has extensive experience advising on issues relating to the upgrade of South East Queensland motorways. For over five years Majella acted in a variety of matters during the upgrade of the Pacific Highway to the Pacific Motorway which at the time was the largest infrastructure project undertaken by the Queensland Government. As part of the project team, Majella's responsibilities included advising on delegations, the power and options to acquire land, the process for taking, drafting notices of intention to resume, section 15 agreements for taking, settling statements of reasons and background information statements, advising on notices for temporary entry and use of land, and advising on tender documents and the acquisition of land requirements for the project. Majella's most recent advice work was on the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway for the Department of Transport and Main Roads, including a range of property issues for early access to land, vegetation management approvals and power to acquire.
- Clem 7 Tunnel: Majella was a member of the legal team that advised on aspects of the Clem 7 Tunnel, advising on powers of a local government to acquire land and to operate a toll road, providing briefings at compulsory acquisition workshops, preparing a paper requesting amendments to the Acquisition of Land Act 1967, advising on land acquisition and native title issues, volumetric title issues and settling documentation for the process.
- Tugun Bypass road project: Majella worked on the Tugun Bypass road project advising on planning and environmental issues in New South Wales and Queensland, briefing senior officers, advising on acquisition powers in Queensland and New South Wale, acquisition of Commonwealth airport land and Crown land in New South Wales as well as freedom of information issues.
- Busway projects: Majella has worked on several busway projects including the South-East Transit Busway, Inner North Busway (stages one and two), Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron), and Eastern Busway. Her role involved advising on a wide range of issues for these projects such as land acquisition, legislative, native title, cultural heritage, lease, delegation powers, regulation powers and early access. For one of the busways, Majella provided representation in the pre-construction phase for the project and advised on the power of the Director-General to resume land for a busway, encroachment issues, liability in nuisance, compensation issues and threatened injunction applications.
- Coordinator-General: Majella has acted on behalf of the Coordinator-General in a number of different projects including, SunAqua Finfish Aquaculture, Gladstone State Development Area, Wingate Properties ministerial call-in, Gold Coast Convention Centre, Comalco Alumina Refinery, Targini Extension to Gladstone State Development Area, Townsville State Development Area and the Water Grid projects. The work has included advising the Coordinator-General on his draft report and conditions, advising on acquisition of easements and documentation, and native title issues.
See Government Services
Environment and Sustainable Development
- Motorway upgrade projects: Majella has extensive experience advising on issues relating to the upgrade of South East Queensland motorways. For over five years Majella acted in a variety of matters during the upgrade of the Pacific Highway to the Pacific Motorway which at the time was the largest infrastructure project undertaken by the Queensland Government. As part of the project team, Majella's responsibilities included advising on delegations, the power and options to acquire land, the process for taking, drafting notices of intention to resume, section 15 agreements for taking, settling statements of reasons and background information statements, advising on notices for temporary entry and use of land, and advising on tender documents and the acquisition of land requirements for the project. Majella's most recent advice work was on the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway for the Department of Transport and Main Roads, including a range of property issues for early access to land, vegetation management approvals and power to acquire.
- Tugun Bypass road project: Majella worked on the Tugun Bypass road project advising on planning and environmental issues in New South Wales and Queensland, briefing senior officers, advising on acquisition powers in Queensland and New South Wale, acquisition of Commonwealth airport land and Crown land in New South Wales as well as freedom of information issues.
See Environment and Sustainable Development
Construction and Major Projects
- Rail infrastructure projects: Majella has been involved on recent rail and light rail developments in South East Queensland including the Gold Coast Rapid Transit Project (GCRT), the Moreton Bay Rail Link Project, the Darra to Springfield Rail Project and the proposed Cross River Rail project. She has assisted on land acquisition issues, access for early works issues, and hardship acquisition issues.
- Motorway upgrade projects: Majella has extensive experience advising on issues relating to the upgrade of South East Queensland motorways. For over five years Majella acted in a variety of matters during the upgrade of the Pacific Highway to the Pacific Motorway which at the time was the largest infrastructure project undertaken by the Queensland Government. As part of the project team, Majella's responsibilities included advising on delegations, the power and options to acquire land, the process for taking, drafting notices of intention to resume, section 15 agreements for taking, settling statements of reasons and background information statements, advising on notices for temporary entry and use of land, and advising on tender documents and the acquisition of land requirements for the project. Majella's most recent advice work was on the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway for the Department of Transport and Main Roads, including a range of property issues for early access to land, vegetation management approvals and power to acquire.
- Clem 7 Tunnel:mMajella was a member of the legal team that advised on aspects of the Clem 7 Tunnel, advising on powers of a local government to acquire land and to operate a toll road, providing briefings at compulsory acquisition workshops, preparing a paper requesting amendments to the Acquisition of Land Act 1967, advising on land acquisition and native title issues, volumetric title issues and settling documentation for the process.
- Tugun Bypass road project: Majella worked on the Tugun Bypass road project advising on planning and environmental issues in New South Wales and Queensland, briefing senior officers, advising on acquisition powers in Queensland and New South Wale, acquisition of Commonwealth airport land and Crown land in New South Wales as well as freedom of information issues.
- Busway projects: Majella has worked on several busway projects including the South-East Transit Busway, Inner North Busway (stages one and two), Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron), and Eastern Busway. Her role involved advising on a wide range of issues for these projects such as land acquisition, legislative, native title, cultural heritage, lease, delegation powers, regulation powers and early access. For one of the busways, Majella provided representation in the pre-construction phase for the project and advised on the power of the Director-General to resume land for a busway, encroachment issues, liability in nuisance, compensation issues and threatened injunction applications.
- Coordinator-General: Majella has acted on behalf of the Coordinator-General in a number of different projects including, SunAqua Finfish Aquaculture, Gladstone State Development Area, Wingate Properties ministerial call-in, Gold Coast Convention Centre, Comalco Alumina Refinery, Targini Extension to Gladstone State Development Area, Townsville State Development Area and the Water Grid projects. The work has included advising the Coordinator-General on his draft report and conditions, advising on acquisition of easements and documentation, and native title issues.
See Construction and Major Projects
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Busway projects: Majella has worked on several busway projects including the South-East Transit Busway, Inner North Busway (stages one and two), Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron), and Eastern Busway. Her role involved advising on a wide range of issues for these projects such as land acquisition, legislative, native title, cultural heritage, lease, delegation powers, regulation powers and early access. For one of the busways, Majella provided representation in the pre-construction phase for the project and advised on the power of the Director-General to resume land for a busway, encroachment issues, liability in nuisance, compensation issues and threatened injunction applications.
See Litigation and Dispute Resolution