The EDO Bulletin is a free weekly bulletin that provides a listing of news, events, public notices and opportunities for public comment.
EDO News and Events
1. Northern Rivers Workshops
2. Solicitor Position Vacancy: EDO North Queensland
3. Student Writing Competition: ‘Overeating the environment?’
4. Acting Policy Director Position: EDO NSW
Law and Policy Watch
5. Garrett rejects outright a Mission Beach development proposal under the EPBC Act
6. Win for Traditional Owners in the Blue Mud Bay Case
7. EDO Policy Submissions
EDO in the Media
Environmental Law Notices – New South Wales
8. Major Project Proposals – Invitation to Comment
9. State Conservation Notices – Invitation to Comment
Environmental Law Notices – Commonwealth
10. EPBC Referrals – Invitation to Comment
Community News
11. Asia Pacific Forest Industries Climate Change Conference
12. Nature Conservation Council: Call for Conference Papers
13. National Walk to Work Day
14. Australian Ethical Investment: Sydney Seminars
EDO News and Events
1. Northern Rivers Workshops: Changes to NSW Planning Laws
Major changes to NSW’s planning and development legislation, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, were passed in June 2008. Over two evening workshops in the Northern Rivers region, EDO solicitors will explain the changes to professionals, community groups and members of the public. Topics will include:
Plan-making
Development assessment
Exempt and complying development
Private certification
Community infrastructure contributions
Remaining appeal rights
A proposal for what the Act should look like
Coffs Harbour – *please note revised time and venue
Time: 5-7 pm Date: Thursday 7 August 2008 Venue: Room 1, Coffs Harbour Community Village, 22 Earl St, Coffs Harbour
Time: 6-8 pm Date: Tuesday 26 August 2008 Venue: Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, Pacific Drive
The workshops are free of charge, however RSVP is essential. For more information or to register your interest, contact EDO Northern Rivers Education Officer, Mark Byrne on 6622 8470.
2. Solicitor Position Vacancy: EDO North Queensland
The Environmental Defender’s Office North Queensland seeks an experienced environmental lawyer to help us defend North Queensland’s unique environment.
The position is full-time, based in Cairns, with a salary range between $43,000 and $55,000.
Selection Criteria
Required
1. A Bachelor Degree in Laws.
2. Eligibility for admission to practice as a Solicitor in Queensland and to hold a practising certificate pursuant to Queensland Law and the requirements of the Queensland Law Society from time to time.
3. Sound research skills and the desire to work for a community organisation such as EDO-NQ.
4. Demonstrated ability to provide legal advice and casework services Highly Desirable 5. Litigation experience in superior state courts and/or federal courts and a sound knowledge of litigation procedures.
6. Sound knowledge of federal and state environmental laws and policies.
7. Sound word processing and computer based research skills.
8. Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, environmental issues.
9. Experience with government bodies or community organisations with objectives similar or related to those of EDO-NQ.
10. Experience in drafting law reform and/or policy submissions.
11. Experience in the preparation and delivery of seminars, workshops and other educational activities.
12. Demonstrated high motivation and the ability to work both as part of a small team, and unsupervised as required.
Desirable
13. Experience in the preparation of funding submissions, project budgets and identification of funding sources.
14. Demonstrated ability to work with volunteers.
15. Current Queensland driver’s licence and a willingness to travel to regional centres to deliver seminars and presentations.
For more details please contact us on 07 4031 4766 Applications close Friday 8 August 2008.
3. Student Writing Competition: Overeating the Environment?
The EDO has recently launched a new national environmental law journal, IMPACT! We would like to invite tertiary students to participate in a student writing competition, with a chance to be published in the upcoming edition of IMPACT! and win $500, courtesy of Maddocks.
The topic of the next edition will be ‘Overeating the Environment?’ dealing with issues relating to food and sustainability.
The rules and guidelines for the competition are listed below:
The competition runs once a year (IMPACT! is a biannual publication)
The winning entry will receive $500 and be published in the upcoming edition of IMPACT!
Entrants must have been enrolled at an Australian tertiary institution in the previous 12 months
Entries must relate to the topic of the upcoming edition
Articles should focus on Australian law but use international examples where applicable
Minimum word count 2,500, maximum 3,000
Deadline for all entries is 8 September 2008
Send your entries as attachments to EDO NSW
Publisher reserves the right to edit entries
For more information and suggested essay topics for the upcoming edition, got to http://www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/student_prize.php.
4. Acting Policy Director Position: EDO NSW
The EDO is a community legal centre specialising in public interest advocacy regarding environmental law and policy. We are seeking an Acting Policy Director to lead the Office's policy activities.
This is a maternity leave position in our Sydney office and is expected to be for 12 months.
Selection Criteria
Essential
An undergraduate degree in law
3 – 5 years experience in environmental policy development processes at a high level
Experience in managing and supervising people and projects
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including an ability to communicate clearly in plain English
Excellent research skills
An excellent understanding of NSW, national and international environmental legal issues
The ability to work with minimal supervision and to tight deadlines
Commitment to the protection of the environment and public interest environmental law
Desirable
A NSW practising certificate, or eligibility for admission to legal practice in NSW and other relevant tertiary qualifications
See http://www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/jobs_volunteer.php for a full position description.
Salary Range
$65,630 - $71,597, plus superannuation.
For further information contact Jeff Smith on (02) 9262 6989.
Applications close Friday 15th August 2008.
Law and Policy Watch
5. Garrett rejects outright a Mission Beach development proposal under the EPBC Act
Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett has rejected outright a development proposal at Mission Beach in North Queensland under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999.
The development involved subdividing some 24 hectares of land into 40 residential lots and involved vegetation clearing, earthworks, construction of a new access road and associated infrastructure.
In the Minister’s speech to the Queensland Media Club, he drew attention to the factors considered when making the decision. One of these factors was that the location was considered ‘essential habitat’ of the endangered cassowary and provided ‘an important cassowary movement corridor between the habitat of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area and the coast.’ The Minister concluded that ‘even strict conditions wouldn’t be enough to protect this vital corridor.’
This was only the second time a proposal has been rejected outright under the EPBC Act, and is therefore a significant decision. Under the Minister’s reasoning, it may be that for future development proposals, where the ‘potential impacts on matters of environmental significance [cannot] be offset or minimised in some way,’ the project will be dismissed. The Minister also expressed a strong commitment to upholding and applying the principles laid down in the Act.
6. Win for Traditional Owners in the Blue Mud Bay Case
The Northern Land Council are celebrating the recent High Court decision in Northern Territory of Australia v Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust (the ‘Blue Mud Bay case’), confirming that traditional owners of the Blue Mud bay region in north east Arnhem Land – together with traditional owners of the entire Northern Territory coastline – have exclusive rights regarding commercial and recreational fishing in tidal waters overlying Aboriginal land.
This decision applies to the intertidal zone of over 80% of the Northern Territory coastline and is an issue that has been raised by traditional owners in the Courts since the Croker Island case which was lodged in 1994.
The decision establishes a clear process of consultations between traditional owners and all stakeholders to obtain a negotiated settlement which ensures commercial and recreational fishing in tidal waters over Aboriginal land.
The full High Court decision can be found at http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2008/29.html
7. EDO Policy Submissions
The EDO’s submission on the COAG Working Group on Climate Change and Water – Design Options for the Expanded National Renewal Energy Target Scheme and the submission on the Senate Inquiry on the recent carbon sinks legislative amendment are now available on the EDO website at http://www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/policy.php
A submission on reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, due 5 September, is currently being prepared, as well as a submission on the Federal Government’s Green Paper.
A NSW submission on the ‘Taskforce for Tourism and National Parks,’ seeking to advise the Ministers for the Environment and Tourism regarding promotion and protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage values through the appropriate use of national parks, is due 22 August 2008.
For more information on the EDO’s submissions, please contact the EDO office on (02) 9262 6989. Previous submissions are available on the EDO’s website at www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/policy.php
EDO in the Media
There were no references to the work of the EDO in the media this week.
Law Notices – New South Wales
8. Major Project Proposals – Invitation to Comment
For a full listing of Major Project proposals currently available for public comment, visit the Department of Planning website at http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/asp/das.asp
Greater Hume: Culcairn Effluent Reuse Scheme – EIS
Newcastle: Mayfield West Waste Management Facility - EIS
9. State Conservation Notices – Invitation to Comment
The full listing of conservation plans is available for public comment on the National Parks and Wildlife website at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/consult/DecPublicConsultation.htm
Draft Plans of Management
Jerralong Nature Reserve
Corramy State Conservation Area
Bees Nest Nature Reserve
Draft Conservation Agreement
Shannon Creek
Environmental Law Notices – Commonwealth
10. EPBC Referrals – Invitation to Comment
Referrals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 are available for comment on the Department of Environment and Water Resources website at: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl
The following referrals have been listed within the last 7 days:
New South Wales
Clarence Valley Council/Natural resources management/The Maclean Rainforest Reserve and adjacent gully area/NSW/Flying Fox Dispersal Action
Metricon Qld Pty Ltd/Residential development/Cnr Coquette Point Rd & River Rd, Innisfail/QLD/179 lot Residential development and construction of artificial lake
Waratah Coal/Mining/Mine in Galilee Basin; Port south of Port Clinton; pipeline to Lake Dalrymple/QLD/Galilee Coal project including development of coal mine, 495km railway, port and 285km pipeline
Qld Department of Main Roads/Transport – land/Between Caloundra and Maroochydoore, Sunshine Coast/QLD/Multi-Modal Transport Corridor – construction of arterial road and railway, upgrade of Sunshine Mwy
AGL Energy/AGL Pipelines Investment Pty Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Berwyndale to Wullumbilla, SE Qld/QLD/Construct and operate 112km long underground gas transmission pipeline
11. Asia Pacific Forest Industries Climate Change Conference
ForestWorks presents this industry-specific conference, subtitled, ‘The Opportunity to Influence the Australian Government on Forestry’s Role in the Emissions Trading Scheme.’ Guest speakers from both the industry and government will be attending.
The conference will involve:
International presentations on the prospects of a global Emissions Trading Scheme and its impact on domestic schemes like that proposed for Australia;
Sessions on the role of sustainable forest management in the long term storage of carbon and the opportunities for businesses and communities; and
A presentation from URS Forestry on the highly topical Trade Exposed Emissions Intensive Industry (TEEI) status and their work for the pulp and paper sector.
Date: 18 – 20 August 2008 Venue: Sydney
Cost: $2,200
The conference brochure and registration forms can be obtained by calling 0410 553 938.
12. Nature Conservation Council: Call for Conference Papers
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW would like to invite submissions for the call for papers for the ‘Saving a Sunburnt Country’ conference to be held on 12 and 13 November 2008 (revised dates). The Department of Environment and Climate Change is the principal sponsor for the conference.
Major themes of the conference include:
How Australian species and ecosystems might respond to climate change;
The effect on human society of changes to biodiversity and ecosystem functions caused by climate change;
Planning for higher temperature scenarios and other climate induced changes – the challenges of assisting mitigation and adaptation for biodiversity and ecosystems; and
What further contributions, research, planning and innovations on the part of community and government are available to protect our biodiversity and ecosystems.
Abstracts are due 11 August 2008, however NCC can be contacted if an extension is required.
To indicate your interest in either presenting a paper/attending the conference please reply by email, or register by email on our website at www.nccnsw.org.au/sunburntcountry
13. National Walk to Work Day
With average use, an Australian family car travels 15,000km a year, generating about 5 tonnes of greenhouse pollution and costing its owners about $13,000. Walking just 10km a week (1km each way, to and from work), instead of driving, saves about $900 in transport costs and 300 kilograms of greenhouse pollution each year.
Walk to Work Day (WTWD) is an annual event held around Australia which promotes regular walking and a cleaner environment. By registering for participation at www.walk.com.au individuals, businesses and organisations can take the first step to improve our nation’s health and environment.
When: Friday 3 October 2008
14. Australian Ethical Investment: Sydney Seminars
Australian Ethical Investment and Superannuation are running a series of free seminars to better inform members of the public about the work that they do and the nature of ethical investment.
The presentation will cover the following topics:
What is ethical/socially responsible investing?
How it links to issues such as climate change, water shortages and corporate responsibility
How ethical screening can reduce investment risk and identify potential growth sectors
An overview of Australian Ethical’s managed funds and superannuation
Seminar Details
6 pm to 7:30 pm, Tuesday 12 August
Vibe Hotel North Sydney
88 Alfred St, Milson’s Point
6 pm to 7:30 pm, Tuesday 19 August
Metro Hotel Sydney Central
431-439 Pitt St, Sydney
6 pm to 7:30 pm, Thursday 21 August
Sydney Park Pavilion
Euston Rd, Alexandria
The seminars will include some food and refreshments. There is no cost, however places are limited. Register your interest to Adam on (02) 6201 1926.
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This bulletin is meant for your general information. Where possible, references are given so that readers can access original sources or find more information. Any information contained in this bulletin does not represent legal advice.
The EDO does not endorse and is not affiliated with events advertised in the Community News section.
