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The Honourable Paul Stein AM KC passed away on Saturday, 22 June 2024. Paul Stein was appointed a judge of the District Court in 1981, serving until he was appointed to the Land and Environment Court on 3 June 1985. He served with distinction as a judge of the Land and Environment Court until 7 April 1997, when he was appointed as a judge to the Court of Appeal. Paul Stein served as a judge of appeal until April 2003. Paul Stein served afterwards in many roles, including as a chair of various planning panels established under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW). Paul Stein has made a significant contribution to planning and environmental law over many decades. Amongst many significant decisions he made as a judge, three stand out. First, his pioneering decision on the precautionary principle in Leatch v National Parks and Wildlife Service and Shoalhaven City Council (1993) 81 LGERA 270. Second, his important decisions on assessing harm to threatened fauna by logging in native forests in Corkill v Forestry Commission of NSW (1991) 73 LGRA 126 and Corkill v Hope (1991) 74 LGRA 33. This Court and the people of NSW are in his debt for his service to the law, and planning and environmental law in particular.
25 Jun 2024
We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we work and we pay respect to the Elders, past, present and future.