Opinion – Page 53

Indigenous Communities, Land Rights and Mining

By Hsin-Yi Lo. This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme. “All individuals are entitled to live in an environment adequate for their health and well-being“. Australia’s mining boom has attracted many local and international mining companies. International companies such as BHP Billiton, […]

Aboriginal Australians Offered National Suicide Prevention Program

By Shae Courtney. In 2008 the State Coroner for Western Australia, Alastair Hope, released his report into the deaths of 22 Aboriginal Australians in the Kimberley region of Western Australia since 2000. The Hope Report outlined some 27 recommendations to the state government and highlighted the urgent need for accountability in the state’s provisions to […]

Expanding Marine Protection in Australia

By Katherine Grant. This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme. Australia has long prided itself on its oceans; images of pristine beaches with white sand, clear water and tropical reefs have become iconic representations of life down-under around the globe. Despite the […]

What SlutWalk Means To Me (Trigger Warning)

By Karen Pickering. This piece is part of our September focus on Women’s Rights. Read more about this theme here. SlutWalk is an annual feminist event that addresses the public shaming of victims of sexual assault. For more information, you can visit the SlutWalk website. When I was fifteen years old I was on school […]

Defining “Environmental Justice”

By Emma Kerins. This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme. In February of last year, environmental activist and icon Erin Brockovich arrived in Australia to further the cause of what she refers to as “environmental justice”. At the launch of her initiative, […]

Handful of uranium pellets equal to mountain of coal

Uranium Trade Off: What are Australia’s obligations?

By Jenna Gibbons. This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme. Australia has the world’s largest resources of uranium, which we sell to 39 countries to power civilian nuclear energy reactors. As nuclear power becomes a more widely used clean energy alternative, a […]

Yellow balloons with slogan: 'Farms not gas'.

Coal seam gas expansion: devastating farmers and the environment

In the past decade, the expansion of the coal seam gas (CSG) industry in Australia has been nothing short of momentous. In the Eastern states, where the growth has been concentrated, this progression has generated increasing social and environmental concerns. Uncertainty regarding the effect of coal seam gas extraction upon ground water aquifers, the full […]

unConventional Refugees

By Catherine Pelling. This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme. Thus far the international community has focused primarily on the scientific aspects of climate change, with the aim of understanding the processes at play and mitigating the impact of human activity. Yet […]