Updates
Community action in Victoria holding coal mining companies to account
The Latrobe Valley community has fought to reduce the health impacts of toxic coal waste for generations. Over the last few months, we’ve seen two huge moments for holding coal mining companies accountable for protecting community health and the local environment....
Court actions protect forests for communities, creatures and climate
An extraordinary victory that was decades in the making: the Victorian government has announced native forest logging will end by 1 January 2024. Our forests will keep standing. Our threatened wildlife are safer. We can visit today – and take our children tomorrow....
Laws criminalising peaceful protests
What do Victoria's draconian new laws mean for forest protestors? Read more from EJA ecosystems lawyer, Natalie Hogan. The Victorian government is introducing harsh new penalties and threats of prison time to deter concerned citizens from protesting against...
Update: More scrutiny for Delta Coal’s Chain Valley mine
We have an encouraging update on Delta Coal’s proposal to expand the Chain Valley mine at Lake Macquarie. Last year, we asked you to make a submission on Delta Coal’s proposal to expand its Lake Macquarie mine, keeping it open for another two years and extracting an...
Two new coal mines shelved, but 14 awaiting decisions
Great news! Two huge coal mine proposals in Central Queensland have been shelved. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has just confirmed the proposed China Stone Coal Mine in the Galilee Basin, and The Range Coal proposal in the Surat Basin cannot be approved –...
Protecting endangered Gouldian Finches in Lee Point from habitat-destroying developers
Last week, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek confirmed Lee Point is habitat for threatened Gouldian Finches – creating an uncertain future for Defence Housing Australia’s approved plans to bulldoze the bushland area. This is a promising win for community and legal...
Getting Hazelwood rehab right with thorough environmental assessment
When the Hazelwood coal mine closed in 2017, it left behind giant hole and tonnes of toxic coal ash. Now, the mine's operator, Engie, must clean up the site. We have serious concerns that Engie wants to dodge its responsibility and cut corners on properly...
Staying bold, fearless and independent: our choice to not accept this offer of federal funding
We were curious and even a little bit excited when at the last federal election, Labor promised to restore Community Legal Centre funding, stripped by the Abbott Government in 2015, to us at EJA. But it turns out this new federal government funding comes with...
Toxic air pollution on the rise: Our analysis of National Pollution Inventory data
The PR departments of Australia’s power stations might prefer we didn’t track their emissions of 93 toxic substances. But we think everyone who breathes air has a right to know about – and stop – toxic contamination. That's why we’ve spent the last few days carefully...
Speak up for Aboriginal cultural heritage
Where the Murray River meets the Barmah Lakes in the south-east of this continent, you’ll find the largest river red gum forest in the world. This is Yorta Yorta country – cared for by traditional custodians since time immemorial. But recent actions by a pro-feral...
Toxic coal ash dumps leave Latrobe Valley communities at risk
AGL Energy has plans to expose the Latrobe Valley community to coal ash pollution for another 20 years. The company wants to build another six enormous coal ash dumps where waste from coal production is mixed with groundwater, creating a cocktail of lethal heavy...
Water management and the emergence of treaty-making in Victoria
For a long time, Victorian Aboriginal communities have engaged in debates around water and advocated for their water rights. In this drought-prone state, crisscrossed by rivers and wetlands, water is hotly contested by irrigators, cities and ecologists. Unlike other...