Building Tomorrow

Society of Construction Law Australia
  • 4.7 (35)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

Building Tomorrow is a show exploring the biggest issues in the Australian construction landscape by having real conversations with the people behind the scenes shaping the industry.

  1. 12 JAN

    Is Queensland ready to rethink liability, with Emily Ng

    Emily Ng is Special Counsel in the Construction, Infrastructure, and Projects team at Holding Redlich, where she advises on the full project lifecycle for major energy, resources, and infrastructure developments. In this episode, Emily discusses the struggle of achieving work-life balance, particularly as a new mother in the industry. She unpacks Queensland’s proportionate liability regime and why she believes its current prohibition on contracting out is worth rethinking. Finally, Emily also breaks down the High Court’s Tesseract decision, exploring how it affects proportionate liability in arbitration and the strategies parties should consider moving forward.  Resources and links: Emily Ng on Linkedin   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    25 min

  2. 29/12/2025

    Reforming construction law for consistency, with Sean Kelly

    Sean Kelly is a Partner at Clayton Utz. Sean focuses on major projects and construction, and he has extensive experience in project delivery and dispute resolution. In this episode, Sean takes us through significant changes in construction law. He discusses the rationale for the changes, the nationwide discrepancies in adjudication, and how the excluded amounts regime seeks to address them. Sean also leaves us with important clarifications on how the laws will be applied, who they will apply to, and to what extent.   Resources and links: Clayton Utz on LinkedIn Sean Kelly on LinkedIn   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    56 min

  3. 15/12/2025

    How lawyers and engineers can work together better, with Dr. Paul Tracey

    Dr Paul Tracey is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School. Paul teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in construction law, as well as leading the Construction Law and Practice programme at the University of Salford. In this episode, Dr Tracey explores Cross-cultural collaboration. He breaks down how a power station project in Gaza became the catalyst for his research, compares Australian culture with other cultures, and gives advice on how to better prepare students for collaborating with people from different cultures.   Resources and links: University of Melbourne website    Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    45 min

  4. 01/12/2025

    Conference collection: The rest is… liquidated damages, with Matthew Bell and Trevor Thomas

    Earlier this year at the annual Society of Construction Law Australia conference in Brisbane, we caught up with panellists and moderators from around Australia to discuss the biggest issues in the industry today. Matthew Bell is an Associate Professor and Co-director for Studies for Construction Law at Melbourne Law School, and Trevor Thomas is a Partner at Corr Chambers Westgarth.  In this episode, Matthew and Trevor debrief their entertaining presentation on liquidated damages, where they used AI to create their own episode of The Rest is History. They also talk about the intricacies of low-value liquidated damage and its implications for drafting relevant clauses.    Resources and links: Matthew Bell on LinkedIn Trevor Thomas on LinkedIn   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    15 min

  5. 17/11/2025

    AI and the future of construction law, with James Macdonald

    James Macdonald is a Senior Associate for Dispute Resolution at Ashurst. Ashurst is a global law firm built and run on the primary motivation of staying ahead and driving innovation. In this episode, James talks about his paper, From Blueprints to Bytes: The Legal Implications of AI in Construction. You’ll hear him discuss the current state of AI within the Australian construction industry, the struggle of shifting traditional legal clauses to keep pace with AI, and the risks that misuse of AI tools will pose to the industry.   Resources and links: Ashurst Website James Macdonald on LinkedIn   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    24 min

  6. 03/11/2025

    Building the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, with Jane Hider, Nicole Whitby, and Colin Fraser

    Jane Hider is a Partner at King & Wood Mallesons, specialising in construction law and infrastructure project delivery. Nicole Whitby is a construction and engineering lawyer and a Partner at Pinsent Masons. She specialises in minimising risk within public-private partnership projects. Colin Fraser is a lawyer and a Partner at Pinsent Masons, with over 30 years of experience in infrastructure projects. In this episode, Jane unpacks the underlying legal nuances in procurement and delivery for the 2032 Olympics. In addition, Nicole and Colin draw their comparisons from similar infrastructure projects. They discuss why this one is so different and explain the risks they may face along the way.   Resources and links: Jane Hider on Linkedin Nicole Whitby on Linkedin Colin Fraser on Linkedin   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    28 min

  7. 20/10/2025

    Does the culture of the construction industry need to change?

    Kevin Porter is an Anthropologist and Culture Change Consultant who has extensively studied the Australian construction industry. Kevin has spent his career studying human behaviour and providing leaders with the information they need to make choices, grow their businesses, and improve workplace culture. In this episode, Kevin explains the concept of culture from an anthropological perspective and describes his observations from his time embedded in the construction industry. He outlines how companies often have contradictory stated principles and practices, which can lead to significant physical and psychological harm for the employees, as well as major issues for the business. Kevin also emphasises that any industry can change its culture, but it has to put in the work.   Mental health support: This episode contains discussions about suicide and mental health. In the event of an emergency, dial 000. For other mental health support, please visit your local hospital emergency department or contact the following support services: Lifeline: 13 11 14 or https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 or https://www.beyondblue.org.au/   Resources and links: Kevin Porter on LinkedIn   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    41 min

  8. 20/10/2025

    Why dispute resolution is becoming more complex

    Dado Hrustanpasic is a Partner at Holding Redlich and an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School, where he lectures in construction dispute resolution. Dado has over a decade of experience in major projects and infrastructure disputes and is dual-qualified in law and civil engineering. In this episode, Dado explains the evolution of major project delivery in Australia and highlights the common triggers, resolution strategies and preventative measures for project disputes. He also discusses the impact of proper liability, the rise in complex, multi-party disputes, and why a flexible, multi-disciplinary approach is essential for resolving conflicts and disputes.   Resources and links: Dado Hrustanpasic on LinkedIn   Connect: The Society of Construction Law Australia website The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast. This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

    34 min
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4.7
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

Building Tomorrow is a show exploring the biggest issues in the Australian construction landscape by having real conversations with the people behind the scenes shaping the industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Society of Construction Law Australia
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Society of Construction Law Australia
  • Show Website
    Building Tomorrow

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