The Environmental Justice Network Australia is an informal, multi-disciplinary network of individuals and organisations committed to working together to research, advocate for and create projects that support environmental justice for all communities in Australia. The network includes individual researchers, activists, community organisations and universities from around Australia.
Environmental justice can be defined as involving four aspects:
- the fair distribution of environmental goods and harm;
- the recognition of human and non-human interests in decision making and distribution;
- the existence of deliberative and democratic participation
- the building of capabilities among individuals, groups and non-human parts of nature
(from David Schlosberg, 2007, Defining environmental justice: theories, movements and nature. Oxford University Press, Oxford.)
The Australian Earth Laws Alliance is one member of this growing network. We have hosted several Environmental Justice workshops and events; we assist communities to connect with researchers and legal support regarding environmental justice issues and we also auspice the Network’s webpage and facebook pages.
ORGANISATIONAL MEMBERS OF THE EJ NETWORK
- Australian Earth Laws Alliance
- Australian Environmental Justice Project, RMIT
- Friends of the Earth Australia
- Sydney Environment Institute, Sydney University
- Urban Research Program, Griffith University
- QUT Law School
- Environment Defender’s Office Queensland
- Environmental Justice Australia
- Bridging the Divide
2017 EVENTS
People's Tribunal into the Human Rights Impacts of Unconventional Gas
AELA is working with the Western Downs and Wider Unconventional Gas Group (WDWUGG) and a range of other civil society groups to co-host a People's Tribunal into the Human Rights Impacts of Unconventional Gas. The Tribunal will be held in Brisbane on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February, 2016.
For more information, please click here.
ONGOING MEMBER PROJECTS
EJOLT DATABASE
The Australian Environmental Justice (AEJ) research team at RMIT University is creating a public online database of cases of environmental injustice — for affected communities, campaigners and educators. The AEJ project has Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) as a partner and is associated with the EU-funded international Environmental Justice Organisations, Liabilities and Trade (EJOLT) project (http://www.ejolt.org/project).
HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE EJ NETWORK
- Please email AELA’s National Convenor, Michelle Maloney, to be put on the Network mailing list or to find out more – convenor@earthlaws.org.au
- Please visit and ‘like’ the Environmental Justice Network’s Facebook page –https://www.facebook.com/pages/Environmental-Justice-Network-Australia/279379502223512
- Please join our Facebook group page and be part of information sharing and discussions – https://www.facebook.com/groups/768315263186796/
PAST EVENTS ORGANISED BY MEMBERS OF THE NETWORK
- 2014 - “Bridging divide: food justice in rural and urban Queensland”, Brisbane
- 31 October 2014. A free 1 day symposium co-hosted by AELA, Bridging the Divide and the Griffith EcoCentre. Please click here for a copy of the flyer and program.
- 2014 – Environmental Justice Symposium, Brisbane – “What’s the Environmental Justice Agenda in Queensland?”
- 4th April, EcoCentre, Griffith University – co-hosted by AELA and the Griffith University Urban Research Program
- Please click here to visit the webpage for this event and access PowerPoint presentations for all the talks
- 2013 – Environmental Justice Conference, Sydney
- Sydney University, hosted by Sydney University’s Institute of Sustainability
- Please click here to visit the webpage for this event
- 2012 – Environmental Justice Symposium, Brisbane
- 4 December, QUT Gardens Point – co-hosted by AELA and QUT Law
- Please click here to visit the webpage for this event, and access PowerPoint presentations and audio recordings for all the talks
- 2012 – Environmental Justice Seminar – Melbourne
- June 2012, co-hosted by Environmental Defenders Office Victoria and CREEL
- Please click here to visit the webpage for this event
- For a copy of the EDO Victoria’s Environmental Justice Project report, please click here
