When an aircraft crashes, or there is a near-miss, the airline industry rushes to learn the lessons so as to keep planes flying safely across our skies. Why doesn’t the construction industry take the same approach to project failures? In this podcast, Jaclyn Smith is joined by her fellow SoCLA directors, Dr Sean Brady (Brady Heywood), Matthew Bell (Melbourne Law School) and Kara Vague (Downer) to discuss the human element in construction projects. We explore the role of lawyers in doing more than just getting the contracts right, and why Australia’s distrust of authority can help avert disasters on site.
Connect with these SCL Australia Directors on Twitter (@SCLAust):
Matthew Bell: @MelbConstrucLaw
Dr Sean Brady: @BradyHeywood
Kara Vague: @KaraVague
Jaclyn Smith: @jaclynlindsay
This podcast is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. You should always obtain legal advice about your specific circumstances. The views expressed in these podcasts are the speakers' own. They should not be taken as recommendations of the Society of Construction Law Australia.
Laws are supposed to keep things in order. How, then, do they get so complex that they cause headaches - or worse - for the construction industry? In this podcast, Jaclyn Smith is joined by her fellow SCL Australia directors, Matthew Bell (Melbourne Law School), Dr Sean Brady (Brady Heywood) and Laina Chan (3 Wentworth Chambers). They focus on construction industry security of payment laws: brought in to crack a seemingly simple nut of keeping cashflow moving, these laws have mutated into a multi-headed beast in Australia. There does, however, finally seem to be some hope that this monster might be tamed by way of a federal review being undertaken during 2017.
Connect with these SCL Australia Directors on Twitter (@SCLAust):
Matthew Bell: @MelbConstrucLaw
Dr Sean Brady: @BradyHeywood
Laina Chan: @LainaChan1
Jaclyn Smith: @jaclynlindsay
This podcast is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. You should always obtain legal advice about your specific circumstances. The views expressed in these podcasts are the speakers' own. They should not be taken as recommendations of the Society of Construction Law Australia.
Kara Vague is the current Chair of the Society of Construction Law Australia, having had an extensive involvement spanning a number of Committees over the last few years.
In this interview, Director Jaclyn Smith (@jaclynlindsay) asks Kara to reflect on her career and time with the Society, and share some of the current and upcoming activities.
For those looking to get in contact with Kara:
Twitter: @KaraVague
Email: Kara.Vague@downergroup.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-vague-b471b420/
This podcast is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. You should always obtain legal advice about your specific circumstances. The views expressed in these podcasts are the speakers' own. They should not be taken as recommendations of the Society of Construction Law Australia.