Citizen’s Inquiry into the 2019/2020 Australian Bushfires:
Did systemic failure by Australian governments, to Care for Country, contribute to “ecocide”?
OPENING SESSIONS – ALL ONLINE – MON, TUES, WED & FRIDAY
SESSION TIMES
- Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 June – 4pm to 6.30pm AEST (Brisbane, Australia)
- Friday 25 June – 1pm – 2pm AEST (Brisbane, Australia)
REGISTER FOR YOUR TICKET, TO JOIN US ONLINE:
for your free ticket, to observe the Tribunal discussions online
Would you like to share your stories about the 2019/2020 bushfires?
to express interest in being part of the public hearings being held during June-August online
SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS
- People from affected areas in East Gippsland, Bega Valley/Bateman’s Bay,
and the Blue Mountains - Jojo Mehta, Stop Ecocide International
- Barry Hunter, Aboriginal Carbon Foundation & Djabugay person
- Professor Will Steffen, Climate Council
- Professor Brendan Mackey, Griffith Climate Beacon
- Dr Virginia Marshall, First Nations lawyer and author
- Revel Pointon, Environmental Defenders Office
- Benedict Coyne, Barrister and Human Rights Lawyer
- Zoe Bush, Environmental Defenders Office
PROGRAM SUMMARY
Monday 21st June – Framing the Inquiry (4-6.30pm AEST)
- Role of the Peoples’ Tribunal
- First Laws and Obligations to Care for Country
- What responsibilities do Australian governments have to Care for Country and protect human rights?
- What are Ecocide laws and Earth laws?
Tuesday 22nd June – Bushfire Impacts – What happened? (4-6.30pm AEST)
- Impacts on human and non-human communities – Blue Mountains, East Gippsland, Batemans Bay, other communities
Wednesday 23rd June – Scientific and legal frameworks for responding to the bushfires – how we can learn from systemic failures? (4-6.30pm AEST)
- The science of bushfires – climate change impacts, local land, water and fire management – Caring for Country
- A critique of legal frameworks in Australia
Friday 25th June – Summary of initial findings + next steps – the Tribunal Panel (1-2pm AEST)
TRIBUNAL PANEL MEMBERS
Those bearing witness to these public hearings are the following lawyers and Indigenous leaders:
- Mary Graham, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Queensland and Kombumerri person
- Ross Williams, Future Dreaming Australia and Bindal/Juru person
- Dr Michelle Maloney, Australian Earth Laws Alliance
- Gwynn Maccarrick, University of Tasmania
- Gill Boehringer, Lawyer and human rights advocate
DETAILED PROGRAM
(ALL SESSIONS WILL BE RECORDED AND MADE AVAILABLE ON THIS WEBPAGE BY THE END OF JUNE)
All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST)
| Monday 21st June | Framing the Inquiry | Speakers |
| 4.00pm | Welcome, opening, role of the Peoples’ Tribunal | Dr Michelle Maloney, Tribunal Panel |
| 4.15pm | Acknowledgement of Country | Ross Williams & Michelle Maloney, Tribunal Panel |
| 4.20pm | Framing our Citizens’ Inquiry: The Relationist Ethos – the land is the source of the law; the role of the ‘law of obligation’ in Caring for Country | Mary Graham, Tribunal panel |
| 4.35pm | Framing our Citizens Inquiry: Fire Management and Obligations to Care for Country | Barry Hunter, Aboriginal Carbon Foundation & Djabugay person |
| 5.05pm | Framing our Citizens’ Inquiry: What responsibilities do Australian governments have to Care for Country? | Revel Pointon, Lawyer, Environmental Defenders Office |
| 5.35pm | Framing our Citizens’ Inquiry: What responsibilities do Australian governments have to protect human rights | Benedict Coyne, Barrister and Human Rights Lawyer |
| 6.00pm | Framing our Citizens’ Inquiry: What is ecocide? | Jojo Mehta, Stop Ecocide International |
| 6.20pm-6.30pm | Summary/close | Michelle Maloney and Gwynn McCarrick |
| Tuesday 22nd June | What happened – stories and perspectives from affected communities |
Speakers |
| 4.00pm | Welcome, opening, role of the Peoples’ Tribunal | Michelle Maloney |
| 4.10pm | Impacts on human and non-human communities – Stories from East Gippsland | Speakers from East Gippsland |
| 5.10pm | Impacts on human and non-human communities – Bateman’s Bay, Bega and connected communities | Speakers from the Blue Mountains |
| 5.40pm
6.20-6.30pm |
Impacts on human and non-human communities – Stories from the Blue Mountains
CLOSE |
Speakers from Bega and Bateman’s Bay
Michelle Maloney
|
| Wednesday 23rd June | Scientific and legal frameworks for responding to the bushfires | Speakers |
| 4.00pm | Welcome, opening, role of the Peoples’ Tribunal | Michelle Maloney |
| 4.15pm | SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDINGS Climate Change, Earth Systems Science & Bushfires – global perspectives |
Professor Will Steffen, Climate Council |
| 4.55pm | Climate change and bushfires in Australia – land, water, biodiversity | Professor Brendan Mackay, Griffith Climate Beacon |
| 5.30pm | CRITIQUE OF CURRENT LEGAL SYSTEM Filling the void: why climate litigation is needed in Australia + current EDO cases |
Zoe Bush, Environmental Defenders Office |
| 5.40pm | Climate litigation around the world, and in Australia | Dr Nicole Rogers, Southern Cross University |
| 6.00pm | Failure of legal frameworks in Australian law, regarding Indigenous rights and leadership in Caring for Country |
Dr Virginia Marshall, Indigenous lawyer and author |
| 6.20pm-6.30pm | Final comments & Close | Michelle Maloney and Mary Graham |
| Friday 25th June 1.00-2.00pm |
INITIAL FINDINGS AND NEXT STEPS – TRIBUNAL PANEL | Tribunal Panel Members |
For more information – tribunal@earthlaws.org.au
FOR YOUR FREE TICKET, to observe the Tribunal discussions online
Would you like to share your stories about the 2019/2020 bushfires?
to express interest in being part of the public hearings being held during June-August online