The role of evidence and groundwater expertise to support decisions of the Land and Environment Court of NSW
Presented by: Sarah Bish
Produced by: IAH NSW
Date: Tuesday 11 November 2025
Time: 17:30 for an 18:00 start
Where: WSP Office – Level 27
Online: To be provided closer to the date
Abstract
Appeals before the Land and Environment Court of NSW can range from development applications, noise complaints, building defects, tree disputes, valuation for compensation, and Aboriginal land claims. As a Commissioner, you are required to be able to determine in a hearing all these matters. Having technical specialists as Commissioners is a unique quality of the Court that is written into its legislation. Appearing before a Commissioner or Judge of the Court can be daunting, and if unprepared, the expert and their evidence will be challenged. Understanding what the Commissioner and the Court is expecting from an expert will help in preparing the appeal and evidence for the Court to consider, and also appearing confidently before the Court in a hearing.
Bio
Sarah Bish is a qualified geologist and hydrogeologist with over 35 years working in the NSW public service, private sector and United Nations. Currently, she is the Principal Hydrogeologist with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and more recently she was a Commissioner of the Land and Environment Court of NSW. Sarah Graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Geology) and a Master of Applied Science (Groundwater Management). She has an Advanced Diploma in Business Management, and has been accredited as mediator and in project management. Her expertise is in hydrogeology, water resource management, water/sanitation engineering, disaster and emergency response, and compliance. Internationally, Sarah as worked in the USA, Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Western Sahara, Algeria, Macedonia, Malaysia and Iran, primarily on emergency response.
