Queensland has passed the Criminal Code (Dangerous Driving) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026, overhauling dangerous driving offences and substantially increasing penalties to prioritise victims’ rights. The package targets high‑risk behaviours such as excessive speed, drink and drug driving, and repeat offending, with tougher custodial terms and expanded circumstances where dangerous operation of a vehicle can be charged. For road and infrastructure planners, the shift signals stronger legal backing for engineering measures that manage speed, separate vulnerable users, and support enforcement technology on state-controlled roads.

The House of Lords has launched an inquiry into “dunkelflaute” – multi-day periods of low wind and solar output – as the UK grid takes a larger share of variable renewables. Peers will examine how National Grid ESO plans to maintain security of supply during extended calm, overcast conditions, including the roles of long-duration storage, interconnectors and dispatchable plant. Civil and electrical engineers can expect scrutiny of network resilience assumptions, capacity adequacy margins and the cost–risk balance for backup infrastructure.

Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration is pushing to cut mining project assessment times and embed more digital workflows in its approvals process, with director general Chris Shaw telling the WA Mining Conference 2026 that timeliness, effectiveness and efficiency are now core performance measures. The regulator is prioritising end‑to‑end online lodgement and tracking of applications, along with better data integration across environmental, geotechnical and safety assessments. For proponents, this signals stronger scrutiny of technical submissions but potentially faster decisions for complex greenfield and brownfield projects.