Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission in response to the consultation paper on the design of an Australian fuel efficiency standard (FES). EDO has long advocated for reforms to address emissions from the transport sector, and that transport planning should be better linked to strategic planning and emissions reduction targets. […]
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EDO welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change’s report on enhancing climate change legislation, support for climate change litigation and advancement of the principle of intergeneration justice, to be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in October 2023. Our submission provides overarching comments on Australia’s climate […]
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EDO provided this submission to the UN Special Rapporteur investigating the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. Our submission provides insights into how Australian law does not protect human rights to be free of toxic pollutants, and changes that must be made at a national […]
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Last night’s ABC 7.30 report into alleged pollution incidents in the Beetaloo highlights the importance of full compliance with the Pepper Inquiry, including a range of recommendations about the management of wastewater to reduce the risk of contamination or spills. [1] The report comes just weeks after the Northern Territory Government gave the green light to a […]
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Traditional Owners Josephine Davey and Jack Green and the Environment Centre NT (ECNT) are appealing the NT Supreme Court’s recent decision in relation to the McArthur River Mine, the state’s most toxic industrial site. Ms Davey, Mr Green and ECNT had, through their lawyers, the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), challenged the decision of the NT Mining […]
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The purpose of the guidelines is to provide guidance to proponents proposing to undertake activities in Australian waters which may affect underwater cultural heritage (UCH). The draft guidelines reflect the legal framework created by the Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018 (Cth) (UCH Act) and advise proponents on their obligations created under that Act. The UCH […]
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The NSW Supreme Court will this week consider whether harsh anti-protest laws introduced by the NSW Government last year breach the right to free speech implied in the Australian Constitution. Knitting Nannas Dominique Jacobs and Helen Kvelde, through their lawyers at the Environmental Defenders Office, launched a constitutional challenge to s214A of the Crimes Act 1900 […]
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On 30 March 2023, the Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 (Bill) was introduced to the Northern Territory Parliament. It seeks to amend the Water Act 1992 (NT) (Water Act) and the Water Regulations 1992 (NT) (Water Regulations), including with respect to how mining activities are regulated under this legislation. This Briefing Note considers: – How […]
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The Australian Government’s commitment to protecting 30% of our land and 30% of our oceans by 2030 (30 by 30 target) reflects national obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and in particular the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022. The implementation of a consistent, legally sound national framework to recognise OECMs can assist […]
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It’s been 5 years since new laws for biodiversity conservation and native vegetation clearing were introduced in NSW. It is time to ask – are those laws working to protect biodiversity and appropriately regulate land clearing? EDO’s submission to the 5-year statutory review of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 outlines key failures of the […]
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