The Environmental Defenders Office delivers tailored legal services to Aboriginal peoples and communities through specifically designed education workshops, advice and representation.
EDO lawyers take action on behalf of traditional owners and custodians to help them protect their ancestral lands and cultural artifacts from destructive development, tourism and mining.
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EDO lawyers take action on behalf of traditional owners and custodians to help them protect their ancestral lands and cultural artefacts from destructive development, tourism and mining.
Together with our Indigenous clients, we have worked to prevent 4WD vehicles trailing across cultural heritage sites in Tasmania’s takanya/Tarkine, challenged the destruction of Aboriginal sacred places by the Shenhua mega-mine in New South Wales, provided advice and representation to Garawa people of the Gulf fighting the dual threats of gas extraction and Glencore’s McArthur River Mine and sought to protect the ancestral lands of the Adnyamathanha people of South Australia from a controversial coal gasfication project.
Our statement of commitment:
We will use our expertise, professionalism and deep commitment to assist and stand with our Aboriginal clients as they protect and promote their Country, culture and heritage through law.
Our Aboriginal Engagement & Cultural Heritage Work
Shenhua Watermark and Traditional Custodians
8 months ago — The site of Shenhua’s proposed three open-cut pits are located on the ancestral lands of the Gomeroi Traditional Custodians.
Aboriginal Advisory Committee Members
The guiding committee informs and advises EDO on environmental law issues affecting Aboriginal communities and provides and Aboriginal perspective to our policy and law reform work. It meets annually and members help us as needed.
Current members:
Jason Behrendt (Chalk & Behrendt Lawyers & Consultants); Neva Collings (Orange Door Legal); Tony McAvoy SC (Frederick Jordan Chambers); Natalie Rotumah (NTSCORP Limited); Alice Williams (Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations)
All members provide their time voluntarily – we thank them for their expertise and commitment to helping EDO provide the best service we can for our Aboriginal clients in New South Wales.
Caring for Country
The Caring for Country guide is a key part of our work for and on behalf of Aboriginal communities. It is intended to help Aboriginal peoples understand their rights and obligations under environmental and natural resource management law, and brings together the wide range of laws relating to country, culture and heritage that affect Aboriginal peoples in NSW.
EDO recognises the traditional owners and custodians of the land, seas and rivers of Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders past and present, and aspire to learn from traditional knowledge and customs so that, together, we can protect our environment and cultural heritage through law.
