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Meet the EDO
History
The Northern Territory Environmental Defenders Office is part of a national network of EDOs which help protect the environment through law in each State and Territory.
Australia 's first Environmental Defenders Office was established in New South Wales in 1986. In the early 1990s, EDOs were also established in Victoria and Queensland
In 1994 a group of concerned lawyers coordinated a proposal to the Commonwealth government to fund a national network of EDOs. The proposal was supported by lobbying by other groups. As a result, the then Government made a commitment to fund a national network of environmental lawyers to provide legal services in each State, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory, to those wanting to protect the environment in the public interest.
As a result of this funding, EDOs started operating in NT, Western Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and North Queensland in 1996 and 1997.
Like EDOs in other States, the EDO NT operates independently from government.
Staff
Principal Solicitor and Coordinator - Mark Cowan
Mark Cowan holds 2 degrees - in Law and Environmental, Regional and Local Government Planning from Griffith University in Queensland.
After working as an Environmental Planner in Queensland and overseas in both strategic planning and development assessment areas, Mark practised in Environmental Law with a private firm in Brisbane, with a focus on advising proponents of major resource developments in Queensland and across Australia. Between leaving private practice and coming to head up the EDO (NT) in January 2009, Mark worked in remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory as a lawyer with the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency ( NAAJA ) assisting and appearing as counsel for indigenous clients in all areas of civil law, particularly Coronial, Child Welfare, Police Tort & Anti-discrimination matters.
Volunteers
Volunteers are an important part of EDO NT. We run a volunteer program at our office in Darwin. The program offers a range of legal research projects for law students or graduates who have an interest in environmental law, or an opportunity to assist in legal research for legal advices. We also have volunteers who work from different areas in Australia, and contact us by phone and email.
Thank you to our volunteers for 2008 who have made an invaluable contribution to the work of the office: Davina Borrow-Jones, Eleanor Browne, Simone Lee, Lisa Ball, Diana Rickard and Simon Wiese.
From left: Eleanor Browne (volunteer), Rachel Carey (EDO Lawyer), Tim Prichard (Barrister), Lisa Ball (volunteer), Simone Lee (volunteer).
EDO Management Committee
The EDO is an incorporated association. Its affairs are overseen by a Management Committee which is elected annually by EDO members. The current Management Committee includes conservationists, community representatives and practising lawyers. Current office holders on the Management Committee are:
- Earl Johnson – Chairperson
- Greg MacDonald – Public Officer
- Steve Davis – Treasurer
- Linda Cuttriss – Secretary
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