Updates
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...
Setting the standards for mine rehabilitation in the Latrobe Valley
Communities in the Latrobe Valley have powered our homes, offices, and schools across Victoria for decades. As coal mines close, mining operators need to be held responsible for cleaning up their mess, to ensure that the Latrobe Valley community aren’t stuck with the...
Complaint lodged in the Victorian Human Rights commission to stop brumby preservation group from racially vilifying Traditional Owners
Lawyers at Environmental Justice Australia have today lodged a complaint at the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to stop a brumby preservation group from racially vilifying Monica Morgan, a senior member of the Yorta Yorta Nation. The Barmah...
Gippsland Lakes is in dire straits and needs new management and policy
The future health of Gippsland Lakes, an internationally recognised Ramsar wetland, lies firmly in the hands of the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, writes senior EJA lawyer Ellen Maybery. As a Party to the Ramsar Convention, Australia has a responsibility to...
Legal intervention for our living wonders: Reconsider 19 new coal and gas proposals
On behalf of our client, the courageous Environment Council of Central Queensland, we’ve just commenced a landmark legal intervention. Our client has just asked Australia’s new Environment Minister to reconsider nearly all new coal and gas proposals currently awaiting...
An update on the fight for clean air in NSW
By Jocelyn McGarity, Clean Air LawyerIt’s been a busy few months fighting for clean air to protect community health across NSW and I want to share an update on some of the crucial moments EJA has been involved in lately. We scrutinised the National Pollutant...
As forests collapse, the Premier puts the crucial role of citizen scientists in jeopardy
By Ellen Maybery, Senior Specialist LawyerImagine you are the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. The unprecedented 2022 federal election result has just unfurled before your eyes. A slam dunk for community voices demanding real action on climate change and integrity....
Have your say on NSW Clean Air Regulation
The NSW EPA is accepting submissions now on a proposed law which will determine clean air regulations for big polluters in the years ahead. Air pollution is a serious issue in NSW that causes hundreds of avoidable deaths and cases of childhood asthma every year. Yet...
Analysing the latest data from the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI)
The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) is Australia's annual report on toxic pollution. Their latest data (2020-21) has just been released, and our team has analysed the trends. Notably, our analysis shows AGL’s power stations across NSW and Victoria reported...