On Friday, 26 May 2006, the Environmental Defender's Office hosted a one-day conference on environmental enforcement, entitled Making Law Work – Improving Environmental Compliance and Enforcement in Australia.

The conference discussed key issues in environmental enforcement and compliance, and examined various mechanisms for ensuring compliance with environmental laws, including monitoring, penalties and prosecutions, market-based instruments and community-based monitoring and enforcement.

The EDO gratefully acknowledges the generous financial and in-kind support of our conference sponsor, the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation.

Our Environment - It's A Living Thing

Program [PDF]

Speaker List

• The Hon. Bob Debus, NSW Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment
• The Hon. Justice Preston, Chief Judge of the NSW Land and Environment Court
• Bob Sendt, NSW Auditor General
• Michael Arch, Solicitor, McKees Lawyers
• Chuck Berger, Legal Advisor, Australian Conservation Foundation 
• Nicola Beynon, Wildlife and Habitats Program Manager, Humane Society International  
• Andrew Cox, Executive Officer, NSW National Parks Association
• Mark Flanigan, Policy and Compliance Branch, Department of Environment and Heritage
• Mark Gifford, Director, Reform and Compliance, Department of Environment and Conservation 
• Nilesh Goundar, Oceans Team Leader, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific, Fiji
• Tim Holden, Corporate Counsel, Department of Natural Resources
• Greg Hunt, National Manager, Waterkeepers Australia   
• Jo Immig, Coordinator, National Toxics Network 
• Kieran Longridge, Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific
• Chris McElwain, Principal Legal Officer, Department of Environment and Conservation
• Ilona Millar, Principal Solicitor, Environmental Defender's Office
• David Milledge, Ecologist, Byron Shire Council
• Duncan Miller, Barrister
• Ian Ratcliff, Solicitor, Environmental Defender's Office
• Judy Reizes, Coordinator, Manly Environment Centre
• Susie Russell, North East Forest Alliance
• Jeff Smith, CEO, Environmental Defender's Office 
• Professor Martin Tsamenyi, Director, Centre for Maritime Policy, University of Wollongong
• Sarah Tsiamalili, Lawyer, Environmental Law Centre, Papua New Guinea
• Robert Verhey, Strategy Manager, Environment Team, Local Government and Shires Association
• Felicity Wade, NSW Campaigns Manager, The Wilderness Society    
• Rachel Walmsley, Policy Director, Environmental Defender's Office

Conference Program

Opening Plenary

Welcome to Country

Director's Welcome

Jeff Smith, Director, Environmental Defender's Office (NSW)

Conference Opening

Hon. Bob Debus, NSW Attorney General and Minister for the Environment

Keynote Presentation

Justice Preston, Chief Judge, NSW Land and Environment Court

Workshop Session I

Workshop Topics

Community Based Monitoring
Effective Civil Enforcement
Native Vegetation Management
Threatened Species Protection
International Case Study – Illegal Logging in PNG

Workshop Session II

Workshop Topics

Public Information Disclosure
Effective Criminal Enforcement
Pollution Management
Federal Environmental Law
International Case Study – Illegal Fishing in the Pacific

Closing Plenary

Panel Discussion

Evaluating and Improving Environmental Compliance and Enforcement