As with other Australian states the South Australian planning and environment market remains competitive and, generally subject to lower hourly rates than other practice areas. The usual planning client mix of often cash strapped local government clients and the always price sensitive property developers saw prices generally trending towards the $400 per hour mark rather than the typical Adelaide benchmark of $500 per hour.
Some respite on the pricing front can be found in “environment” matters due to the often different nature of the clientele and the ad-hoc nature of increasingly common contamination and prosecution matters.
Hourly Rate Market Share $300-$350 2% $350-$400 9% $400-$450 13% $450-$500 20% $500-$550 13% $550-$600 8% $600-$650 13% $650-$700 19% $700-$750 3%
