10 April 2024
1. Accelerating the growth of the battery recycling industry - new arrangements between ABRI and law firm Johnson Winter Slattery
The battery recycling industry is changing rapidly and is facing a variety of material issues in business operations and regulatory compliance as regulatory arrangements are not keeping pace with technology deployment and circular economy drivers.
To assist members, ABRI is pleased to announce that it has retained law firm Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) to provide high level legal guidance for both ABRI and its members on pathways for navigating the challenges in this environment.
It is in industry’s interests to ensure that any issues are dealt with efficiently and with the best possible expertise. A solution focused approach can support industry growth and help inform broader policy discussions. It can help streamline and standardise business practices to support risk management, insurance, capital raising and commercial lending.
The new arrangements will allow both ABRI and you (as members) to seek guidance from JWS in two ways:
ABRI members – A ‘hotline’ available to members to seek help and guidance on approaches/pathways for obtaining formal legal advice for issues within Australia. The hotline is available to members under the arrangement ABRI has with JWS, and consequently there will be no additional charge to members for using the service. The hotline is designed to place members who use the service in a better position with respect to understanding how they may need to proceed and what definitive advice they may need to procure in respect of legal matters they might, or expect, to encounter through their activities in the Australian battery recycling industry. Further information is available below; and
ABRI - information sessions on topics of interest to the industry, such as the recent successful and well attended forum in Melbourne in early February. This engaging and thought provoking discussion on Battery Recycling: The Circular Economy and Funding looked at: the misalignment between waste regulation and circular economy goals; and funding opportunities and corporate structures to support the emerging battery circular economy technology sector.
This arrangement will give ABRI members access to the full array of specialists at JWS to support the step change underway in the battery recycling sector, whether your needs concern planning, environmental law, property, construction, corporate, finance, major projects, intellectual property or any other area of legal or regulatory matters.
JWS has one of Australia’s largest energy, resources and infrastructure practices and was the Best Lawyers Energy Law firm of the year 2023. Their team advises on all aspects of large and complex clean energy projects in Australia, including the world’s first large scale grid-connected battery.
Framework governing ABRI member use of the ‘hotline’
ABRI members using the ‘hotline’ service will do so under these arrangements:
Requests to use the hotline must be emailed to Richard Graham, Partner, and include a brief outline of the issue. This will allow JWS to identify which solicitor has the best expertise to assist.
Hotline service calls will be around 15 to 30 minutes in length and will be on Microsoft teams.
The service is information only and not a legal advice service. Members seeking formal legal advice will need to request written advice as a follow-up to the hotline service and for which there will be a fee (although there is no obligation to use JWS for this advice). Follow up emails from a hotline call will also not be considered formal legal advice.
There is no charge for using the hotline. However, the service will be reviewed by JWS and the ABRI Executive Committee on a regular basis to ensure that usage is within the operating framework and remains within ABRI’s budget for the retainer. If ABRI member service use of the retainer arrangement looks like exceeding ABRI’s budget, then ABRI will discuss with members and JWS options for restructuring.
2. ABRI Member Events
2 May Online 2pm – ABRI Working Group - exploring standards for storage of used lithium batteries. Register here.
15 Aug Sydney – 2024 ABRI Battery Recycling & Manufacturing Summit
3. ABRI media, submissions and stakeholder engagement
16 April - Fire Protection Association (FRA) Australia Webinar - Problems with the Recycling and Disposal of Batteries - ABRI CEO, Katharine Hole, panel representative
1 May - ABRI presentation Circular Economy of Batteries at Solar & Storage Live, Brisbane
20 May - Department of Climate Change, Energy and Environment E-stewardship Reform Working Group