Expert Witness Support
HGEC has experience in providing independent technical audits and expert evidence for planning, environmental and civil matters before VCAT, TasCAT and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). Our experts act under the relevant Expert Witness Codes, with opinions that are impartial, transparent and grounded in the Australian Groundwater Modelling Guidelines (AGMG).
Independent Model/Method Audits:
- Review of conceptual models, datasets, stresses, calibration targets and parameterisation; replication of results; diagnostics on identifiability, non-uniqueness and bias; verification of uncertainty treatment (PEST/PEST++, PEST-ENSI/EIS) with decision outputs as P5/P50/P95 envelopes.
- Regulatory Alignment: Check against AGMG, EPA and licensing requirements; traceable QA/QC of inputs; opinions on whether conclusions match data quality and uncertainty.
- Tribunal-Ready Reporting: Clear questions, assumptions, methods, limitations and independence; reproducible appendices (data, scripts, runs); decision relevance (e.g., linking percentiles to TARPs).
- Conclaves/Concurrent Evidence: Joint expert statements, agreed/common ground, defined differences, and concise visuals that make technical issues intelligible to the bench.
- Hearing Support: Briefs of evidence, slide decks and demonstratives; rapid replies to late material; calm, plain-English testimony tied to documented analyses.
- Our work is based upon evidence and withstand scrutiny. They provide the tribunal a reliable basis for resolution or determination.
Why HGEC?
With more than 24 years of experience in hydrogeology and environmental consulting, HGEC delivers clear, practical, and scientifically defensible groundwater advice. Our independent approach ensures groundwater resources are protected while enabling clients to plan with confidence and certainty.
