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. Lunch-time Seminar: The Dying Murray – Is There a Legal Cure?
2. Northern Rivers Seminars: Brainfood In Byron – Human Rights and the Environment
3. Northern Rivers Workshops: Changes to Planning Laws
4. Student Writing Competition: ‘Overeating the environment?’
Law and Policy Watch
5. McArthur River Mine appeal
6. EDO Policy Submissions
EDO in the Media
7. Northern Rivers Echo: Dunoon Dam
8. Technical Advisory Panel expertise: Floodplain development on the Paroo River
Environmental Law Notices – New South Wales
9. Major Project Proposals – Invitation to Comment
10. State Conservation Notices – Invitation to Comment
Environmental Law Notices – Commonwealth
11. EPBC Referrals – Invitation to Comment
Community News
12. Amnesty International Human Rights & Security Network: Seminar series on International Law and Human Rights
13. PIAC and the NSW Charter Group: Human Rights Training
EDO News and Events
1. FREE Lunch-time Seminar: The Dying Murray – Is There a Legal Cure?
The EDO invites you to a free one-hour lunch-time seminar titled, ‘The Dying Murray – Is There a Legal Cure?’ Guest speaker Professor Rob Fowler will look at the plight of the Murray River, including the Ramsar-listed Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth and the severe ecological impacts on these areas due to the demand for water resources.
The panic-driven proposals initiated by the South Australian government in order to preserve Adelaide’s access to drinking water will be considered, as well as the most recent COAG agreement on the Murray-Darling Basin and the efforts by the Commonwealth Government to buy-back water for environmental flows.
Time: 12.30pm for a 12.40 start, concluding at approximately 1.40pm
Date: Friday 22 August 2008
Venue: DLA Philips Fox, Level 38, 201 Elizabeth St Sydney
A light lunch will be provided. For more information or to register your interest, call (02) 9262 6989
2. Northern Rivers Seminars: Brainfood in Byron – Human Rights and the Environment
Although they are thought of as two distinct realms, many human rights depend on environmental protection, and vice versa. The EDO Northern Rivers invites you to a series of free seminars presented by local and visiting experts on the interdependence of the social and natural worlds, with a focus on international issues and initiatives. See below for the topics scheduled.
The seminars are to be held on the last Friday of the month at the Verandah Room (first floor), Byron Community Centre, 69 Johnson St. Arrive at 6pm for drinks and nibbles with the talk commencing at 6.30pm. Seminars will conclude with a question time.
29 Aug Sanitation Ben Fawcett, ex-Southampton University
26 Sept Mining Techa Beaumont, Mineral Policy Institute
31 Oct Water Ilona Millar, Baker & McKenzie
28 Nov Chemicals Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, National Toxics Network
For more information, please call Mark Byrne, Education Officer, Environmental Defender’s Office Northern Rivers, on (02) 6622 8470
3. 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
Port Macquarie *Note revised time and venue
Time: 3-5 pm
Date: Tuesday 26 August 2008
Venue: Port Macquarie City Bowling Club, Owen St
Murwillumbah
Time: 6-8 pm
Date: Thursday 4 September 2008
Venue: CWA Hall, 20 Queen St
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.
4. 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 www.edo.org.au/edonsw and follow the student prize link.
Law and Policy Watch
5. McArthur River Mine appeal
Traditional owners from the Borroloola region, Northern Territory have travelled to Sydney in order to attend the hearing of their appeal against the recent Federal Court decision allowing mining company Xstrata to divert the McArthur River and expand its mining operation. The appeal to Full Bench of the Federal Court is to be heard over two days, Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 August.
Grounds of the appeal include that the former Commonwealth Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, claimed he had considered Xstrata’s mining management plan when approving the diversion despite the fact he had never had the document in his possession and also that there was no public comment regarding additional material provided by Xstrata as required by Commonwealth legislation.
For more information, contact Ursula Raymond at the Northern Land Council on (08) 8920 5114.
6. EDO Policy Submissions
EDO’s 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 nearing completion and will be available on the EDO website following 22 August 2008.
The policy team is also working on a submission on the State Environmental Planning Policy (repeal of Concurrence and referral Provisions) 2008. This will be available on the EDO website by next week.
A submission on reform of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is currently being prepared, as well as a submission on the Federal Government’s Green Paper.
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
7. Northern Rivers Echo: Dunoon Dam (14 August 2008)
EDO Northern Rivers Education Officer Mark Byrne now contributes to a regular weekly column titled, ‘In Your Defence.’ This edition’s column addresses the issue of the proposal for a new dam near Dunoon, downstream from the Rocky Creek Dam. Mark confirms concerns from residents in the surrounding area that the dam will have major environmental impact on the area and that the land provides ‘significant regional wildlife corridors and threatened species habitats.’ The planning process required by such a proposal is also considered.
For a full text of the article, visit http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=Opinion&article=22780&issue=355
8. Technical Advisory Panel expertise: Floodplain development on the Paroo River
Professor Richard Kingsford, a member of the EDO’s Technical Advisory Panel, has recently prepared a report on Floodplain development on the Paroo River. The report has attracted various media attention, regarding the Paroo as the last free-flowing river in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Sydney Morning Herald article, ‘Paroo pact “breached”’ (Friday 15 August 2008) provides a good summary of the report and is available here http://www.smh.com.au/news/water-issues/paroo-pact-breached/2008/08/15/1218307179708.html
Law Notices – New South Wales
9. 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
10. 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 NSW Construction Noise Guideline
Environmental Law Notices – Commonwealth
11. 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
Department of Environment and Climate Change/Natural resources management/Old Droma property Watercourse Rd, Gwydir River near Moree/NSW/Installation of Water Regulating Devise
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4408
Wyong Shire Council/Commercial development/Off Burnett Road, Warnervale, Wyong Shire/NSW/Subdivision, clearing and development of industrial zoned land Lot 3 DP 1007500
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4385
Queensland
BG International Ltd &QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Surat Basin/QLD/Development of Existing Coal Seam Gas Fields
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4398
BG International Ltd and QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Miles to Gladstone, 380km (extending to Tara and Fairview)/QLD/Queensland Curtis LNG Project – Pipeline Network
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4399
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Friend Point & Laird Point Near Gladstone & Curtis Island/QLD/Bridge Construction Connecting Mainland & Curtis Island
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4400
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Curtis Island adjacent to Gladstone/QLD/Qld Curtis LNG Project – LNG plant and Onshore Facilities
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4402
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Port of Gladstone Ship route Capricorn Channel/QLD/Shipping Activity Assoc with QLD Curtis LNG Project
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4405
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Curtis Island adjacent to Gladstone/QLD/Queensland Curtis LNG Project – Curtis Island Road
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4404
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Extending 6km near Friend Point, north of Gladstone/QLD/Queensland Curtis LNG Project – Mainland Road and Bridge Approach
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4403
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Curtis Island and mainland, adjacent to Gladstone/QLD/Queensland Curtis LNG project – LNG Marine Facilities
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4401
BG International Ltd & QGC Ltd/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Port of Gladstone/QLD/Queensland Curtis LNG Project – Swing Basin and Channel Dredging
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4406
Christensen Family Trust/Residential development/Lot 13 15 & 16 Myola-Oakforest Rd Kuranda/QLD/Rural Residential Subdivision and Services
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4394
Airservices Australia/Transport – air and space/Rockhampton Control Tower complex/QLD/Development of a New Airservices Integrated Facility
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4388
Powerlink/Energy generation and supply (non-renewable)/Ross, near Townsville, to Strathmore, near Collinsville/QLD/275kV Transmission Line from Ross substation to Strathmore Substation (approx 180km)
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4390
South Australia
Sinosteel PepinNini Curnamona Management Pty Ltd/Mining/Plumbago Station, 62km S of Mannahill, 210km W of Broken Hill/SA/Crocker Well Uranium Project
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4386
Western Australia
TOTAL E & P Australia/Exploration (mineral, oil and gas – marine)/Permit area WA-408-P, Browse Basin, 480km N, NE of Broome/WA/Gicea 3D Marine Seismic Survey
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4389
Fremantle Ports & WA Department for Planning and Infrastructure/Transport – water/Anketell Rd & Rowley Rd, Cockburn Sound/WA/Development of Kwinana Quay port facility
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=4387
Community News
12. Amnesty International Human Rights and Security Network: Seminar series on International Law and Human Rights
This seminar series, held throughout August and September, is an introductory course for anyone who’s ever been curious about what International Law is, who it applies to and how it’s enforced. No prior knowledge is necessary.
Program
20 August Introduction to International Law
27 August International Institutions
3 September Introduction to International Human Rights
10 September Human Rights Treaties
17 September Enforcement of International Law
24 September The Role of NGOs in Global Civil Society
Venue and time
Amnesty International Australia
Level 1, 79 Myrtle St
Chippendale
6.30pm – 8pm Wednesday
Cost
$10/$5 per seminar
$50/$25 for the course of six
13. PIAC and the NSW Charter Group: Human Rights Training
The NSW Charter Group has started a project to encourage the Federal Government to commence its inquiry into the protection of human rights for Australia. The Charter Group is also campaigning to ensure that a community education campaign is built around the inquiry to help people participate and make submissions.
PIAC in partnership with the NSW Charter Group has commenced a new human rights community education program tailored to the needs of specific groups.
PIAC will continue to offer a one-day training course 'Protecting Human Rights' which provides a general introduction about the source of human rights and gaps in Australian legislation. The new project takes this generic information and focuses it on particular issues, for example, young people or homelessness. The sessions take between 2 and 3 hours, and in most cases can be offered free.
If you would like to suggest a focus for a session or ask for a session for a group with specific interests, contact Brenda Bailey on 02 8898 6522
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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.
