In this special episode ahead of the 2026 SoCLA National Conference in Sydney, this episode features four speakers from our most recent conference in Brisbane. In the first interview Cara North and Eleanor Clifford unpack their Brooking Prize winning paper exploring multi-party and multi-contract arbitrations and how the High Court’s decision in Tesseract changes risk allocation.

Next, keynote speaker Sean Brady, reflects on the Challenger space shuttle disaster and highlights the lessons it can teach modern organisations about risk, safety systems and speaking up.

Finally, academic Wayne Jocic explores how a principal’s unilateral power to extend time may affect contractors’ delay claims, and reflects on the relationship between academia and practice in construction law.

Eleanor Clifford is an Associate at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Cara North is a Special Counsel at Ashurst. At the time of recording Cara was a Special Counsel at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. As the winners of the 2024 Brooking Prize, Cara and Eleanor were invited to present paper at the 2025 SoCLA National Conference. The Society offers the Brooking Prize annually for the best essay submitted in the field of construction law. It is named after The Hon Robert Brooking AO KC in recognition of his Honour’s pioneering contribution to the study and practice of construction law in Australia.

Sean Brady is a forensic engineer and the Managing Director of Brady Heywood. Sean is also a director of the Society of Construction Law Australia.

Wayne Jocic is Associate Professor and Co-Director of Studies at Melbourne Law School.

Resources and links:

All conference papers are available free to SoCLA members at scl.org.au.

Cara North on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-north-76601332/

Eleanor Clifford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-clifford-4b33b4145/

Sean Brady on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-brady-11a95427/

Corrs Chambers Westgarth website: https://www.corrs.com.au/

Brady Heywood Pty Ltd website: https://www.bradyheywood.com.au/

Melbourne Law School website: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/

The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

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 SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiri Parr is a construction lawyer and industry commentator focused on how procurement, contracting and risk allocation shape behaviour in the construction sector.

In this episode, Kiri unpacks why “culture” in construction can’t be fixed in isolation - because structures drive culture. She explains how risk-shifting D&C contracts reward time-and-cost decision-making over quality and safety, suppress technical innovation, and reduce owners’ technical capability.

Kiri also challenges the role lawyers have normalised as “risk goons”, arguing we’re trained in failure rather than success. Finally, she shares practical lenses for better outcomes, from behavioural science to complex systems thinking, and why collaborative contracting offers a path to a better industry.

Resources and links:

Kiri Parr on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/kiriparr

Kiri Parr Advisory website: https://kiriparr.com/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/

The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

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 SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Perl is a construction partner at Pinsent Masons and a leading voice in construction law reform.

In this episode, Adam unpacks the structural drivers behind Australia’s high infrastructure and construction costs. The conversation explores the industry’s productivity challenges, the consequences of lowest-price tendering, and why Australia’s unit costs are among the highest globally.

Adam also examines how extensive amendments to standard contracts contribute to complexity, inefficiency, and disputes. He discusses whether greater contract standardisation could improve productivity and enable better outcomes for public infrastructure investment, alongside the governance and institutional barriers that have slowed reform.

Resources and links:

Adam Perl on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-p-8a922a14/
Pinsent Masons website: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/
The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

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 SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blake Frost is a Partner at HopgoodGanim, where he leads the firm’s Construction practice.

In this episode, Blake explores why late payment remains at the heart of many construction disputes. He also unpacks the Queensland security of payment regime, explains how extended timeframes and jurisdictional error challenges have shifted adjudication away from its original purpose, and examines the growing intersection between construction law and insolvency. Blake also shares practical reform ideas - from faster adjudication to rethinking payment in arrears - and reflects on how smarter payment practices could improve project outcomes across the industry.

Resources and links:

• Blake Frost 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 SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly-Ann Ee is the Head of Health, Safety and Environment at Star of the South, bringing more than a decade of experience working across offshore wind projects in global markets.

In this episode, Kelly-Ann unpacks why safety culture is such a critical part of delivering complex energy infrastructure. The conversation explores the challenges of applying consistent safety standards across different markets and the role of data and innovation in improving outcomes. Kelly-Ann also discusses workforce diversity, including the importance of gender representation, and how blending local culture with global best practice can strengthen safety in the offshore wind sector.

Resources and links:

• Kelly-Ann Ee 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucas Shipway is a Barrister at Greenway Chambers, with a practice focused on construction and infrastructure disputes.

In this episode, Lucas breaks down his presentation "Limiting Liability for Faulty Tender Information: Is there a better way?". He covers the Sydney Light Rail's $500 million dispute over undisclosed utilities, how government disclaimers fail to protect against misleading conduct claims, and recommendations for more transparent and collaborative tender processes to reduce disputes.

Resources and links:

• Greenway Chambers on LinkedIn
• Lucas Shipway 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.