Chris Slocombe

Clayton Utz
Partner Brisbane

He drafts beautiful contracts. Everybody here likes him and trusts him

– Client (General Counsel) quote, Thomson Reuters' Stand Out Lawyers

Overview

Chris is the National Head of the Construction Practice, and a front-end construction and major projects specialist.  He has over two decades of experience as a specialist construction lawyer working in Australia and the UK. Renowned for his technical expertise and sharp commercial insight, Chris advises government and private sector clients on high-profile projects across various industry sectors including water, renewable energy, transport, commercial buildings and mining.

He has extensive experience advising on procurement process design, delivery model selection and risk allocation, and has market-leading experience in the development of bespoke forms of contracts to fit unique procurement and delivery challenges.

Notable Work
  • Queensland Hydro: Lead partner advising on the procurement of the $14bn 2,000MW Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project, the largest project ever procured by the Queensland Government.

  • Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC): Lead partner advising on BAC's transformational Terminal 3 Project, which involves the construction of a new terminal building and multi-level car parking facilities.

  • Sydney Airport (SYD): Lead partner advising on the implementation of Collaborative Frameworks for the delivery of SYD's ~$5bn 5 Year CAPEX Program. The Collaborative Frameworks will contain a full suite of consultancy, building and construction contracts based on the NEC4 contract suite, and will be utilised for the planning, design and construction of Sydney Airport's upcoming program of major capital upgrades and expansions.

  • Seqwater: Lead partner advising on the procurement of the >$1 bn Wyaralong Water Treatment Plant Project.

  • Brisbane City Council: Advising on the procurement and delivery of all of Council's recent major projects, including the $1bn transformational Brisbane Metro, the $288m Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, and the $650m Kingsford Smith Drive Upgrade.

  • Stanwell Corporation: Lead partner advising on the procurement and delivery of a 300 MW / 600 MWh BESS at the Southern Renewable Energy Zone, and a 300 MW / 1200 MWh BESS at the Central Renewable Energy Zone in Queensland.

  • Squadron Energy: Lead partner advising on a number of landmark projects, including the Clarke Creek Wind Farm, the development of the Dubbo Firming Project and the development of Australia's largest dual-fuel (gas and green hydrogen) power station at Port Kembla, New South Wales.

  • NEC4 Contracts: Recognised as the market-leader in the implementation of NEC4 contracts in Australia. Chris led the team that advised Sydney Water Corporation on the large-scale implementation of NEC4 on its "Partnering for Success" Initiative, and has since advised Sydney Water Corporation and other local clients on the implementation of NEC4.

Insights
Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 138: downstream subcontracts, CityLink roaming fees
19 Nov 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix No 137: construction productivity; forum shopping, and indemnity clauses
2 Oct 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix No 136: standard form contracts, challenging payment claim, "cost-plus" arrangements, and misleading or deceptive
22 Aug 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 134: contamination notices; security of payment and arbitration wrap-ups; mid-project resets; liquidated damages
15 May 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 133: Murray Review, cladding, Vic Supplier Code of Conduct
7 Apr 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 132: Queensland statutory trust accounts; retention moneys; adjudicated debt; arbitral awards against foreign States.
27 Feb 2025 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix No 130: adjudicators and submissions, delays as nuisance, half-truths in land sales, rectification
15 Nov 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix No 129: bifurcated arbitration, security of payment across border, statutory trusts
25 Sep 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 128: proportionate liability in arbitrations; security of payment, liquidated damages, subcontracting
26 Aug 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 127: defect rectification, Infrastructure NSW, contract formation
18 Jul 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 126: overpayments, wasted expenditure, builders' duty of care, anti-slavery
5 Jun 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 125: public interest immunity, arbitration agreements, AS4000 and more
2 May 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 124: security of payment, prior negotiations, interest rate or penalty
20 Mar 2024 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 123: proportionate liability, bank guarantees, who can receive a payment claim
5 Feb 2024 | Article
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Major projects & construction 5 Minute Fix 122: construction costs escalation, adjudications, access to performance securities, law reforms
20 Dec 2023 | Article
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Major projects & construction 5 Minute Fix 121: contracting out and construction contracts under the ACL, NSW net zero and infrastructure, variations
24 Nov 2023 | Article
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Major projects & construction 5 Minute Fix 120: completion, adjudicator's reasons, heads of agreement
20 Oct 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 119: conditional completion certificates, termination rights, refusing payment
20 Sep 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 118: conditions precedent, insolvency in construction, cladding
4 Aug 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 117: combustible cladding, price escalation clauses, security of payment
19 Jul 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 116: proportionate liability and arbitration, expert witnesses, bank guarantees
30 Jun 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 115: further defects, payment claims and adjudication, quantifying damages
19 May 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 114: Infrastructure Australia reforms, contractor's duty of care to road users, execution formalities
26 Apr 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 113: separable portions and practical completion, Qld statutory trust roll-out
30 Mar 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 112: payment schedule timeframes, the Design and Building Practitioners Act duty of care
8 Mar 2023 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 111: Secure Jobs, Better Pay in construction, force majeure, contract repudiation
12 Dec 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 110: directors' and employees' liability, Domestic Building Contracts Act, proportionate liability regime
17 Nov 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 109: timing and payment schedules, joint ventures, domestic building legislation, rectification damages
26 Oct 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 108: withholding payment, implied terms and High Speed Rail Authority
7 Oct 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 107: escalation risk, unconditional undertakings, building legislation and standards
16 Sep 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 106: enforceability of adjudication determinations, releases, Modern Slavery
1 Sep 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 105: developer's liability for cladding rectification, expert determination, security of payment
18 Aug 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 104: ABCC, combustible cladding, step-in notice, WA security of payment
4 Aug 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 103
21 Jul 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 102: building reform and regulation, underestimated renovation costs, WA security of payment
7 Jul 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 101: duty of care, infrastructure strategy, and when can you be sued for a building action
24 Jun 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 100: NSW State Infrastructure Strategy, good faith and other implied terms, builder’s margin in variation claims and expert determinations
9 Jun 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 99: NSW's statutory duty of care, opposing a statutory demand, and unsuccessful adjudication offsets
26 May 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 98: NSW Research & Development Roadmap, supply chains, implied licences for home building plans
12 May 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 97: settlement agreements, liquidated damages, misleading or deceptive conduct
28 Apr 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 96: head contractor licensing, easements, recitals in construction contracts
14 Apr 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 95: Qld trust account rollout; Infrastructure Australia's new roadmap; security of payment
31 Mar 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 94: new contract to pay subcontractors directly, post-contract conduct, "cost plus", delayed Practical Completion and final payment
17 Mar 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 93: security of payment, stays and COVID-19, security of critical infrastructure reforms
3 Mar 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 92: electronic document execution, top 5 construction law issues, payment claims
17 Feb 2022 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 91: Queensland's project trust regime, arbitral awards, liquidated damages, Building Equality Policy
23 Dec 2021 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 90: subsequent adjudications, price reviews, and duty of care
9 Dec 2021 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 88: NSW net zero, warranties, combustible cladding litigation, default interest rates
11 Nov 2021 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 87: net zero in NSW, Market Capacity report, economic stimulus packages, tender costs
28 Oct 2021 | Article
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Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 86: arbitration clauses, prevention principle, excluded amounts and liquidated damages
14 Oct 2021 | Article
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