Delve into key negotiation points for landholders, including biosecurity concerns, and compare compensation frameworks for exploration versus full mining leases.

Presenters

Georgiena Ryan, Principal Lawyer, Regional Business Lawyers
Principal Georgiena Ryan has experience acting as solicitor to family and farming businesses, initially in her home state of Queensland where she grew up and later in the New South Wales Riverina and Central West NSW. Georgiena has unique commercial and corporate experience having held in-house legal roles with a specialist international rural and agribusiness bank, and with a leading global agricultural asset manager, responsible for a significant irrigation and dryland farming portfolio across Australia. Georgiena is the only female Accredited Specialist in Business Law located in rural NSW and has a Masters in Commercial Law from the University of Melbourne. Georgiena has special expertise in water law and irrigation and has been involved in some of the largest agribusiness transactions in Australia. Georgiena lives in the south west slopes of NSW on her husband’s family farm. She is supported by the following team members who all live regionally in NSW.

Melanie Findlay, Managing Partner, Rees R & Sydney Jones
Melanie is Rees Jones’ Managing Partner and the head of Energy Environment and Agriculture division of the firm. She began her career as a lawyer at Rees R & Sydney Jones in 2006, became a Partner of the firm in 2010, and in 2020 became the first female Managing Partner of the Firm. Melanie takes great pride in representing the hardworking and resilient landowners in the Central Queensland region. She is the current Chair of the QLS Energy and Resources Policy Committee and she is a member of the QLS Water and Agriculture Policy Committee. Melanie has a particular interest in environmental markets. She is also passionate about contributing to the local community through fundraising efforts for drought-affected rural families and a Director of the Fitzroy Basin Association.