We are the Environmental Defender’s Office of Northern Queensland (EDO-NQ); a non-profit, non-government community legal centre specialising in public interest environmental law.

EDO-NQ is the only independent regional office in the Australian Network of EDOs (ANEDO), which actively works together to protect and conserve the national environment in the public interest.  ANEDO is heavily involved national environmental law reform and legal policy review and development, especially given the increased priority that climate change law is demanding.

The EDO-NQ is an independent incorporated association run by a Management Committee of dedicated volunteers. On this website you can also learn more about our dedicated staff and volunteers.

Since 1996, the EDO-NQ has provided assistance to those in the North Queensland community who are working to protect the environment. EDO-NQ does this through providing legal advice and case work assistance, providing community legal education (through the Community Litigants Handbook, Factsheets, Bulletins and Newsletters, Alerts and community legal education seminars and workshops) and engaging with all tiers of Australian government in law reform and legal policy reviews projects and consultations.

EDO-NQ services the area from (and including) Mackay north to the Torres Strait, and across the breadth of Queensland (here is a map of our service area). This huge area is several times the size of Victoria and contains two World Heritage areas; the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics. The area is home to a vast range of ecosystems, including rainforest, reef, savannah, wetlands, woodlands and semi-arid areas.

If you have a public interest environmental law problem or issue you need help with or would like to discuss but are outside EDO-NQ’s service area, do not worry; just go to ANEDO’s website and find out how to contact the EDO which covers where you live.

EDO-NQ is supported by its members and the Commonwealth and State Legal Aid programs.  We encourage anyone interested in the work of EDO-NQ to join us and become an Environmental Defender.  Our members gain a greater understanding of environmental laws while helping to influence and positively contribute to the future of Queensland's environment and environmental protection and conservation laws.

Please feel free to contact us if you have a public interest environmental issue or wish to find out more about environmental and planning laws.