Updates
Have your say: Murray River floodplains
The iconic Murray Darling Basin is in strife. Climate breakdown, politics, industry and agriculture have left this incredible river system one of the most vulnerable water basins on the planet. Now, the federal and Victorian state governments plan to “reengineer” nine...
Two landmark court wins for our forests in two weeks
The Supreme Court of Victoria has handed down two landmark judgments, both finding state-owned logging agency VicForests has logged illegally. In a win for forests and community, both judgments will require VicForests to survey for and protect threatened species. In...
Living Wonders legal intervention update
Have you heard the news? Minister Plibersek has just announced she has accepted our client's game changing climate legal intervention as valid, and will reconsider 18 coal and gas proposals currently awaiting federal approval. This is huge! Back in July, on behalf of...
The Victorian government’s First Nations water justice plan takes steps forward but has a glaring omission
For thousands of years Aboriginal peoples have understood and supported natural water regimes and their ecological importance. The imposition of the western legal system created numerous barriers to the ongoing custodial relationship with water and waterways. Across...
As landclearing skyrockets in the NT, unique savanna woodlands need protection
The Northern Territory is unique for many reasons, not least because of its spectacular natural environment – from free-flowing rivers, waterfalls and desert landscapes to plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. Amongst these spectacular natural...
“This is why we need climate justice”: What led Jacob to the environment movement
My name is Jacob, the Aboriginal Engagement Officer at Environmental Justice Australia. I will be writing a series of blog posts throughout my time here as I aim to tell my story and also discuss some interesting topics in regard to my work and involvement in...
Reflections on the #CoalPollutionCase
Reflections on the Coal Pollution Case from Senior Lawyer Charley Brumby-Rendell. Last week, I sat in the Supreme Court for three long days, alongside our small but mighty legal team and client. Before the judge’s vast, carved wooden bench, we made our arguments – for...
The #CoalPollutionCase: Challenging coal pollution limits in court
During October 2022 our client, Environment Victoria, went to the Supreme Court against the EPA and three of Australia’s biggest energy companies. This landmark case was the first test of Victoria’s key climate change legislation, the Climate Change Act 2017, and the...
Sustainable Water Strategy fails the water leadership test
Appearances can be deceptive. It’s hard to believe that we’re in a water crisis when we are surrounded by lush green, and the rain just keeps on falling. But the climate crisis that is becoming increasingly apparent the world over is also a water crisis, writes...
For too long politics has sidelined law and science in protecting the Murray River. It’s time for that to change.
The Murray-Darling is Australia’s largest and most complex river system, flowing through five states and territories and supporting diverse and iconic ecosystems. It is also now one of the most vulnerable water basins on Earth, writes lawyer Natalie Hogan. Earlier...
Cleaning up Hazelwood mine: New reports show Engie’s plan will release toxic coal ash pollution
Decades of brown-coal mining has left the Latrobe Valley with enormous mine pits and toxic coal ash dumps contaminating the land and groundwater. As Australia transitions to clean energy, rehabilitating these sites properly will be crucial to protect community health...
‘Nullius’: water, law and overcoming the colonial project
The following is a lecture given at Duke University in the United States by Senior Specialist Lawyer Dr Bruce Lindsay. The intersecting space of environmental law and First Nations’ justice in our country is part of a wider canvas which relates to structural and...