Environmental Defenders Office of Northern Queensland

Law Reform

EDO-NQ actively monitors developments in environment and planning law at all levels of government: local, Queensland and Commonwealth. Where appropriate, EDO-NQ seeks to participate in the development and reform of those laws. The office also provides legal advice and information to groups and individuals seeking to improve environment and planning law and policy.

EDO-NQ also proactively initiates law reform campaigns where appropriate.

During 2008/2009 EDO-NQ has prepared submissions along with EDO Queensland and the Australian Network of Environmental Defenders Offices' (ANEDO).

Case Study: Cassowary Plan

Several clients of EDO-NQ are concerned with the plight of the southern Cassowary, particularly in the Mission Beach area. Areas of important cassowary habitat are outside existing protection offered by state and federal legislation and local government planning schemes. As a result, important habitat is being lost at an alarming rate as it is increasingly fragmented and cleared to make way for rural and urban development. Cassowary numbers in the Mission Beach area continue to decline significantly, with around 49 adult birds thought to remain.

EDO-NQ has worked with the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4) and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) on a submission to the Minister for Environment, Local Government, Planning and Women, Desley Boyle, requesting that a Cassowary Conservation Plan be implemented to address the situation for the southern Cassowary. This would introduce significant protection and regulation measures into the development approval process, and would prevail in the event of a conflict with the provisions of a planning scheme. The Environmental Protection Agency could also be afforded increased powers to influence the outcome of planning applications that affect Cassowary habitat. The final submission for a Cassowary Conservation Plan can be viewed online.

Law Reform and Legal Policy Review Submissions

The EDO-NQ writes many submissions about law reform and legal policy review in relation to environmental law. From time these submissions are written in conjunction with EDO (Qld) and the Australian EDO network.

You can find out more about current Law Reform and Legal Policy Review opportunities here.

You can also find some of EDO-NQ’s more recent submissions here.