Australian Network of Environmental Defenders Offices
Encyclopedia
The Australian Network of Environmental Defenders Offices (ANEDO) consists of nine independently constituted and managed community environmental law centres located in each State and Territory of Australia. ANEDO is notable as Australia's main public interest advocacy law organisation in environmental matters.
ANEDO provides legal support in court cases on environmental matters. ANEDO also plays an advocacy role, lobbying on environmental policy matters.
, have been lobbying has for some years for the inclusion of global warming
as a matter of national environmental significance in Australia's main environmental protection legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
. This campaign was related to a range of court cases with which ANEDO was involved, mostly unsuccessfully, seeking recognition of greenhouse gas emissions as a matter that should be considered in environmental impact assessment
procedures. These included those known as the Bowen Basin case, the Anvil Hill cases, and the Gray case. While many of these cases were lost, they raised the profile of climate change as a legal issue, particularly in the mining industry.
Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions as a trigger in the Australian legislation became a policy of the Australian Labor Party
.
A notable case in which EDO NSW was involved is the Humane Society International
Inc v Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd [2008] FCA 3 (15 January 2008). This was a test case to determine whether whaling by Kyodo in the Australian Whale Sanctuary
was against Australian law. The court found that it was and made orders that Kyodo not even interfere with any Antarctic minke whale
, fin whale
or humpback whale
in the sanctuary.
v Minister for Planning [2004] VCAT 2029 (29 October 2004). In that case it was held that the planning panel considering submissions in relation to a planning scheme amendment under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic) to expand a coal mine to extend the operation of a major coal-fired power station by 20 years cannot exclude submissions about the greenhouse gas implications of using brown coal.
Environment Defenders Office (Vic) maintains an open database of environmental law cases and other information on its Environmental Law Online site.
ANEDO provides legal support in court cases on environmental matters. ANEDO also plays an advocacy role, lobbying on environmental policy matters.
ANEDO and climate change
Several major Australian NGOs, including ANEDO and the Australian Conservation FoundationAustralian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is an Australian non-profit, community-based environmental organisation focused on advocacy, policy research and community outreach.-History:...
, have been lobbying has for some years for the inclusion of global warming
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
as a matter of national environmental significance in Australia's main environmental protection legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
. This campaign was related to a range of court cases with which ANEDO was involved, mostly unsuccessfully, seeking recognition of greenhouse gas emissions as a matter that should be considered in environmental impact assessment
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
procedures. These included those known as the Bowen Basin case, the Anvil Hill cases, and the Gray case. While many of these cases were lost, they raised the profile of climate change as a legal issue, particularly in the mining industry.
Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions as a trigger in the Australian legislation became a policy of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
NSW EDO
The NSW EDO is a notable environmental organisation having worked on numerous environment cases over past years.A notable case in which EDO NSW was involved is the Humane Society International
Humane Society International
The Humane Society International is the international division of The Humane Society of the United States. Founded in 1991, HSI has expanded The HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Africa, and Asia...
Inc v Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd [2008] FCA 3 (15 January 2008). This was a test case to determine whether whaling by Kyodo in the Australian Whale Sanctuary
Australian Whale Sanctuary
The Australian Whale Sanctuary was established in 1999 to protect dolphins and whales from hunting. The non-contiguous zone includes the Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone , which is the area surrounding the continent of Australia and its external dependencies such as Christmas Island , Cocos ...
was against Australian law. The court found that it was and made orders that Kyodo not even interfere with any Antarctic minke whale
Minke Whale
Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
, fin whale
Fin Whale
The fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
or humpback whale
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
in the sanctuary.
EDO Victoria
A notable case in which EDO Victoria was involved was Australian Conservation FoundationAustralian Conservation Foundation
The Australian Conservation Foundation is an Australian non-profit, community-based environmental organisation focused on advocacy, policy research and community outreach.-History:...
v Minister for Planning [2004] VCAT 2029 (29 October 2004). In that case it was held that the planning panel considering submissions in relation to a planning scheme amendment under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic) to expand a coal mine to extend the operation of a major coal-fired power station by 20 years cannot exclude submissions about the greenhouse gas implications of using brown coal.
Environment Defenders Office (Vic) maintains an open database of environmental law cases and other information on its Environmental Law Online site.