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The EDO Education Program regularly conducts community environmental law workshops. Community workshops are tailored to meet the needs of the workshop participants, but emphasise practical application of the information provided. Among the subjects covered include:
Please note that upcoming workshop dates may be subject to change. For more information, or if you are interested in having the EDO presenting a workshop in your region, please contact us.
Upcoming Workshops |
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workshop flyer [PDF 89 KB] |
Recent Workshops
Coastal Development and Advocacy - Wollongong
Saturday 4 April 2009
The EDO, at the request of the Illawarra Greens, presented a workshop on coastal development and advocacy in Wollongong. The workshop focused on the key elements of the planning system relevant to coastal development, including reional plans and local environmental plans and outlined strategies for effectively engaging in the decision-making process.
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workshop slides [PDF 1.17 MB] |
Planning & the Environment: Environmental law for those working in the industry
Tuesday 31 March 2009
The Environmental Defender's Office (NSW) hosted a free workshop in Narooma that addressed various areas of environmental law, including planning, threatened species, native vegetation, water management and bushfire management as it applied to the functions and activities of local government.
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workshop slides [PDF 1.26 MB] |
Coastal Development, Planning & Advocacy - Narooma
Tuesday 31 March 2009
The Environmental Defender's Office (NSW) hosted a free community workshop in Narooma that addressed environmental and planning law as it related to coastal communities.
Coastal Development, LEPs and Advocacy - Ourimbah
7 March 2009
This workshop looked at how planning decisions are made and how they affect coastal communities, with a focus on the Local Environmental Plan (LEP) process.
Private Conservation: A workshop for landowners in the Lower Clarence Valley interested in conserving biodiversity on their property
28 February 2009
This workshop covered the options for conservation agreements, with talks from EDO lawyers and staff from the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW, the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority. The afternoon session involved a visit to a farm 28 kms south of Grafton that has had a Voluntary Conservation Agreement for many years, to show how it has worked in practice.
Rural Landholders Workshop: Albury Wodonga NSW
27 February 2009
This workshop looked at land and water law applicable to rural landholders and relevant organisations in NSW. Topics covered included the legal rights and obligations of landholders and ways to manage rural land in accordance with natural resource management law. Vegetation and water management, pests and weeds, and the use of agricultural chemicals were also be discussed.
Brainfood in Byron: Human Rights and the Environment
The EDO hosted a series of talks at the Byron Community Centre on the last Friday evening of each month from August to November 2008. The theme was the interface of human rights and the environment. The talks were not recorded and presentations are not available as pdf downloads.
The talks were as follows:
29 August 2008 - MINING
Techa Beaumont, Minerals Policy Institute
30 September 2008 - SANITATION
Ken Fawcett, ex-Southampton University
31 October 2008 - WATER
Ilona Millar, Baker & McKenzie
28 November 2008 - CHEMICALS
Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, Oztoxics
Brainfood will continue with another four talks in mid-2009 on the frontiers of climate change. Presentations will be made available on this page after each event.
Northern Rivers Community Forum: Protecting Biodiversity in Lismore Shire
The Northern Rivers is one of the world's most bio-diverse regions. Some plants and animals are protected in national parks and other reserves, but many are not. Any new development or change in land use is likely to impact on biodiversity.
Lismore Council has prepared a draft Local Environmental Plan (LEP) which will chart the future of development and environmental protection in the shire. In response to community concerns, the EDO organised a community forum to discuss how biodiversity can best be protected in the new LEP.
The forum consisted of short talks by EDO lawyers followed by open discussion. The aim was to recommend the inclusion in the LEP of best practice biodiversity protections with local community input.
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workshop slides [PDF 2.4 MB] |
Land and Water Law: A workshop for NSW landholders
On 25 October 2008, the Environmental Defender’s Office, in partnership with Baker & McKenzie, held a free workshop for NSW landholders.
Issues covered included:
- water trading and buy-back schemes,
- climate change and water management,
- an update on the status of water laws such as the Commonwealth Water Act 2007, and
- an overview of some of the key laws relevant to rural landholders, including vegetation and bushfire management, agricultural chemicals, pests and weeds, biobanking and voluntary conservation.
Northern Rivers Evening Workshop: Conserving Threatened Species
On 25 September 2008, the Environmental Defender's Office and Tucki Landcare Group presented a FREE evening workshop on Conserving Threatened Species at Goonellabah.
EDO Northern Rivers Solicitor Sue Higginson provided an introduction to the legal protection for endangered plants and animals in NSW, which was followed by an audio-visual presentation on local habitats and related issues by Mark Graham, an ecologist from Buckombil Conservation Services who has radio tracked koalas and undertaken flora and fauna assessments in the Tucki Tucki catchment.
Planning Law Workshops
Major changes to NSW’s planning and development legislation, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, were passed in June 2008.
The workshops, held in Coffs Harbour, Ballina, Port Macquarie and Murwillumbah, explained the changes to professionals, community groups and members of the public.
The following topics were covered:
- 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
Coastal Law and Climate Change
Batemans Bay
This workshop covered various issues relating to coastal law, including an overview of the planning process and how law and policy addresses key coastal threats. It also discussed Environmental Impact Assessment and how individuals can gather and analyse information in order to effecitvely participate in the EIA process. The impacts of climate change and the potential liability of councils for those impacts is also dealt with.
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workshop slides [PDF 17.85 MB] |
Caring for Country- Moree
The latest Caring for Country workshop was held in Moree on 13 June 2008. The workshop was attended by 15 participants who learnt about key NSW planning and development laws, as well as the legislative framework applying to cultural heritage protection and destruction. The workshop also covered the different ways to access country and how to manage country in accordance with environmental laws.
Conservation on Private Land
Most of Australia's biological diversity is located on privately owned land and this means that landowners hold the key to the protection of countless endangered species.
This workshop, presented by Jeff Smith and held in Lithgow on March 29 covered a range of legal and practical issues associated with private conservation, including:
- legal mechanisms for protecting conservation values on private land;
- financial incentives for private conservation; and
- technical assistance and advice for private conservation projects.
Caring for Country
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| Neva Collings, EDO Aboriginal Liaison Officer, presenting the 'Caring for Country' workshop at Coffs Harbour on 3 November 2007 | |
The Environmental Defender’s Office (EDO) presented a series of FREE regional workshops that provided practical information about environmental law for Aboriginal people. This series was designed to complement the new EDO publication Caring for Country- A Guide to NSW Environmental Law for Aboriginal Communities.
The workshops covered a variety of issues, including
- An overview of the legal system and key environmental laws
- The nomination and preservation system for cultural heritage
- Access and permitted activities in protected areas
- How the planning and development system works
Mining, Part 3A and Advocacy
Gloucester, Saturday 23 February 2008
This workshop dealt specifically with mining applications under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. EDO solicitor Josie Walker and Education Officer Jemilah Hallinan explained how mines are assessed under Part 3A and what opportunities the law provides for public participation in the decision-making process. Legal and non-legal advocacy strategies were also discussed.The picturesque Gloucester valley is traditionally a farming area but is currently under intense pressure from mining interests. The local residents asked the EDO to help them understand the planning process as it relates to mining so that they could better engage with decision-makers in order to protect their own interests and the amenity of their small towns.
The slides from the workshop are available for download.
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workshop slides [PDF 5.55 MB] |
Rural Landholders’ and Threatened Species Workshop
Tuntable Creek, Saturday 18 August 2007
The Environmental Defender’s Office Northern Rivers (EDO) in conjunction with Tuntable Creek Landcare presented a practical workshop about environmental and legal issues which particularly affect rural landholders.
The workshop commenced with a tour of two regeneration sites currently managed by Tuntable Creek Landcare.
The following topics were covered:
- vegetation management;
- bushfire management;
- water management;
- pest and weed control;
- agricultural chemicals; and
- incentives for voluntary conservation.
There was a special focus on the laws relating to threatened species with guest speaker Mark Graham, Ecologist from Buckombil Conservation Services, who discussed the threatened species regime as it is relevant to local issues.
The slides from the workshop are now available for download.
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Rural Landholders and Threatened Species Workshop slides [PDF 1.45 MB] |
The presentation by guest speaker Mark Graham, ecologist from Buckombil Conservation Services, on the laws relating to threatened species as they are relevant to local issues, is also available for download. (presentation reproduced with permission of the owner)
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Rural Landholders and Threatened Species Workshop slides - Mark Graham [PDF 1.67 MB] |
Free Private Conservation Workshop in Dubbo
Dubbo, Saturday 21 July 2007
This workshop covered a range of legal and practical issues associated with private conservation, including:
- legal mechanisms for protecting conservation values on private land;
- financial incentives for private conservation; and
- technical assistance and advice for private conservation projects.
Environmental Law Workshop and Advice Clinic
Newcastle, 23 June 2007
EDO solicitors Josie Walker and Ian Ratcliff travelled to Newcastle on June 23 to present a workshop on Environmental Law with a particular focus on mining and Climate Change.
The workshop was held in Newcastle Panthers and was attended by 30 local residents. The workshop provided attendees with an overview of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act with special attention to the provisions that relate to public participation in environmental decision-making.
Milton, 21 April 2007
EDO solicitor, Jacquie Svenson and Education Officer, Jemilah Hallinan presented a community workshop in Milton on environmental law.
Around 30 people attended the workshop which aimed to give participants an overview of the planning and development system. An understanding of this system and its processes is critical to achieving positive outcomes for the environment.
The workshop also covered access to information and environmental advocacy, where participants were briefed on a number of strategies for participating effectively in environmental decision-making without falling foul of the law.
The workshop was followed by a free advice clinic that provided the participants with an opportunity to discuss specific local environmental law issues with an EDO solicitor.
The EDO would like to thank the Ulladulla District Community Forum for their fantastic assistance in organising the workshop.
Rural Landholders' Guide Workshop
Bellingen, 21 April 2007
The EDO (Northern Rivers) presented a FREE workshop for rual landholders, providing practical information about environmental law.
The workshop was intended to complement the free EDO publication, ‘The Rural Landholder's Guide to Environmental Law in NSW'.
Topics covered in the workshop included: vegetation management, bushfire management, water management, pest and weed control, agricultural chemicals and conservation on private land.
The workshop was presented by solicitors, Jessica Wood and Sue Higginson of the EDO and Pia Dollman from Bellinger Landcare who spoke about the Upper Bellinger Reach-based Plan Project and Landcare generally.
The workshop was followed by a private farm tour on Darkwood Road, Thora.
To download a free copy of the Rural Landholders' Guide to Environmental Law, see: www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/publications.php. Free copies of this publication, including bulk orders, are available from the Environmental Defender's Office NSW. To order copies, please call (02) 9262 6989.
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Rural landholders workshop slides [PDF 1.92 MB] |
Environmental Law Workshop for the Community
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EDO Senior Solicitor, Josie Walker, explains the NSW planning system to workshop participants. |
St Ives, 14 April 2007
Andrew Burke and Josie Walker from the Environmental Defender's Office presented a workshop of Environmental Law for the Ku-ring-gai community on April 14.
The workshop covered:
- An overview of the legal system and key environmental laws.
- Access to information and freedom of information legislation.
- How the planning and development system works.
All participants received a free copy of the EDO Environmental Law Toolkit.
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| Andrew Burke, Programs Director at the EDO , addresses workshop participants |
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Rural Landholders Guide Workshops – Gresford/Dyers Crossing,
16-17 March 2007
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| EDO solicitor Jacquie Svenson addresses rural landholders at a workshop in Nabiac. Photo by Lindsay Gething |
The Environmental Defender's Office (EDO) presented two free workshops providing practical information about environmental law for rural landholders. The workshops were held in East Gresford and Dyers Crossing.
The workshops complement the free EDO publication, the Rural Landholders' Guide to Environmental Law.
Topics covered in the workshop included:
- Vegetation management
- Bushfire management
- Water management
- Pest and weed control
- Agricultural chemicals
- mining
- Conservation on private land
The EDO wishes to thank the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority and the National Heritage Trust for sponsoring the workshops. We would also like to thank Penny Kater and Lindsay Gething for their help in organising the workshops and Helen Marston from the Taree office of the Hunter-Central Rivers CMA for her contribution to the Dyers Crossing workshop.
Both workshops were very well attended and generated positive feedback. The EDO hopes to continue to present this popular workshop in the future.
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Rural landholders workshop slides [PDF 1.92 MB] |
Water Management Law
November 2006
A series of workshops on water management law were held in Broken Hill, Narrabri and Forbes. These workshops were conducted in partnership with the Inland Rivers Network.
Topics covered included:
- An overview to Water Management Policy in Australia
- Explanation of the Water Management Act 2000
- Practical Skills for Environmental Advocacy
- Strategic Campaign Planning
If you would like a copy of the slideshow presentation from this workshop, please contact . Slides are in PDF format.
EDO Environmental Law Workshop and Advice Clinic
Woy Woy, 18-19 November 2006
The EDO conducted a community environmental law workshop in Woy Woy on Saturday, 18 November 2006. A free advice clinic was held on Sunday 19 November, which provided an opportunity for participants to talk about their environmental law issues face-to-face with an EDO solicitor.
Participants of the workshop received practical information to help them participate more effectively in environmental decision making in their local area. Topics covered included:
- the planning and development system
- threatened species law
- coastal protection law
- effective submission writing
- access to information.
The EDO gratefully acknowledges the support of Australian Conservation Foundation, Central Coast Branch, in subsidising the cost of this workshop.
Environmental Law for Rural Landholders
Clybucca, 28 October 2006
The Environmental Defender's Office Northern Rivers (EDO) presented a free workshop in Clybucca, near Kempsey, on environmental law for rural landholders. The workshop was presented in collaboration with Macleay Landcare Group, and complemented the recently released EDO publication, the Rural Landholders' Guide to Environmental Law.
The workshop was designed to help landholders understand their legal rights and manage their land in accordance with environmental and natural resource management law, and to take advantage of incentives for voluntary conservation.
Topics covered in the workshops included:
- vegetation management;
- bushfire management;
- water management;
- pest and weed control;
- agricultural chemicals; and
- incentives for voluntary conservation.
To download a free copy of the Rural Landholders' Guide to Environmental Law, see: www.edo.org.au/edonsw/site/publications.php. Free copies of this publication, including bulk orders, are available from the Environmental Defender's Office NSW. To order copies, please call (02) 9262 6989.
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Rural landholders workshop slides [PDF 1.92 MB] |
Planning Law Reforms
In 2006, EDO Northern Rivers presented a workshop series in Byron Bay, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour on the recent reforms to the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
The reforms include the requirement for all local councils to amend their local environmental plans to conform with a standard template and the addition of Part 3A to the Act which replaces State significant development with major projects and critical infrastructure, for which the Minister is the consent authority.
If you would like a copy of the slideshow presentation from this workshop, please contact . Slides are in PDF format.
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This site was last updated
Wednesday 1 July, 2009
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