Volunteers make invaluable contributions to the Environment Defenders Office. Volunteering at the EDO offers people an opportunity to gain experience in public interest environment law.

Professional volunteers

The EDO relies on lawyers and other professionals to assist in the areas of casework and advice, policy and law reform, and educational publishing. If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the EDO and how you could contribute, please contact us on (03) 8341 3100 or via email at edovic (at) edo (dot) org (dot) au.

Student volunteers

Volunteers answer the phones, undertake legal research, assist on casework and projects and carry out administrative tasks.

We run a number of volunteer programs for law students:

b) Volunteer Day Placement Program (March-November)
a) Internship Program (November-February; June-July)
c) Work Experience Program (school students)

a) Volunteer Placement Program

The Volunteer Placement Program begins in March. Volunteers work one full day per week.

Rosters are organised each semester. This program is very competitive so potential volunteers for each semester should submit their applications as soon as possible then update us with their availability once timetables are out. If a casual vacancy arises during semester, applications on file will be reviewed.

If you wish to apply for this program, print and complete the form below and send it to the address on the form together with your CV:
Day (Semester) Volunteer Application

b) Internship Program (Summer and Winter)

Volunteers work full-time for 2 consecutive weeks over the summer (between November and February) or over the winter break between semesters (June/July).

Intern work includes assisting staff with casework, law reform and policy projects, and research and updating publications. An example of internship project work is the "Land and Biodiversity - a Call for Action" report (see Publications).

Applications are accepted at any time for consideration in the next program. Application due dates will be advertised on this website, through the EDO e-Bulletin and via universities where possible.

Applications for 2009-2010 summer internships closed on Monday 5 October 2009.

If you wish to apply for this program, complete the form below (either by hand or electronically in Word) and send it to the address on the form together with your CV:
Internship Application - paper (PDF; print and complete by hand)

Internship Application - electronic (Word form; download and save on your computer to complete electronically)

c) Work Experience

The EDO may accept a work experience secondary student depending on capacity. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact Mandy Johnson on 8341 3100 to discuss.

Don't get discouraged if our programs are full. Opportunities to volunteer do come up from time to time for different programs and projects, and if we have your CV on file, we can contact you to see if you are still available.