Paul acts for major, mid-tier and junior resource and energy companies, port authorities and infrastructure and service providers on project acquisition, project development, commercial contracts, native title and tenure disputes.

Biography

Paul acts for a range of major, mid-tier and junior resource and energy companies and key infrastructure and service providers in the resources and energy sectors. His clients include several of Australian's major listed gold producers, a number of aspiring producers and a broad range of explorers as well as two of the five port authorities in Western Australia.

Paul advises on all aspects of resource and energy project acquisition and development, including tenure issues, project acquisition/divestment, commercial contracts, project structuring and financing. He appears regularly in the Warden's Court of Western Australia for resource and energy tenure disputes, and advises on native title, future act procedures, expedited procedures and land access and compensation matters.

Paul's resources sector client base covers the full spectrum from major producers, to aspiring developers and junior explorers. Paul's port authority practice spans more than 20 years of continuous engagement on major greenfields and operating infrastructure projects. His native title practice covers complex future act negotiations and Warden's Court proceedings requiring engagement with statutory frameworks, traditional owner groups and regulatory bodies simultaneously.

Paul's combined expertise in resource tenure, project development, native title and infrastructure is distinctive within the Western Australian resources market. His transactional expertise combined with Warden's Court advocacy experience and hands-on approach to complex native title negotiations give him practical depth in the regulatory and stakeholder environments that shape project delivery in the sector.

Credentials

Academic qualifications:

Memberships:

Paul's experience

Port authorities

Acting for two of the five port authorities in Western Australia with over 20 years’ experience in major greenfields and brown-fields port developments, as well as a range of general advice, tenure documents, dispute resolution and regulatory issues.

Tenure disputes

Acting for Silver Lake Resources and Azure Minerals Limited in tenure overlap disputes and negotiations in the Warden’s Court of Western Australia. Provides both representation before the Warden as well as strategic advice in negotiating and resolving tenure overlap issues.

Corporate advice

Advising a range of resource and energy service providers from mining contractors to equipment suppliers, professional consultants and representative associations.

Acquisitions and divestments

Acting for Matsa Resources Limited and Bulletin Resources Limited in project acquisition and divestment transactions, including Matsa’s acquisition of the Red October gold mine from Saracen Limited and the joint venture on the Devon gold mine with Linden Gold Alliance.

Future act negotiations

Acting for project developers in the Perth basin in future act negotiations and providing advice on tenure and regulatory issues.

CSA Global

Working with CSA Global as a non-executive director and assisting with the sale of business to ERM.

Awards, recognition and ranking