Environmental Defenders Office
Tasmania’s public interest community legal centre for the environment funded by the Commonwealth Environmental Legal Program.
The decisions we make today on pollution, threatened species, wilderness, forests, heritage and urban sprawl will have far reaching effects for us and future generations.
Too often the community is left out of environmental and planning decisions. Government authorities don’t always enforce the law. Protecting the environment (in the city, on the farm or in our wilderness areas) is in everybody’s interest, and Tasmania’s environmental laws are here to be used. The EDO is here to help you have your say.
The EDO can assist with:
- free legal advice
- help with environmental law research
- referral to other groups or agencies
- community legal education
We can assist with queries including:
- Who do I speak to about the noise and smells coming from the factory nearby?
- Council proposes to allow subdivision of land. We wish to oppose it; what can we do?
- Council proposes to re-zone land next to us as industrial – what can we do?
- Our group thinks that some of the pollution laws need changing, and we’d like to know how to frame our submission.
- Logging is going on in one of our forests. What can I do?
- How do I make a submission to the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal?
- We’d like someone to talk to our group about environmental and planning law.
We provide information and advice on:
- Urban fringe planning and subdivisions
- Pollution – noise, dust and sewerage
- Endangered species protection
- Wilderness preservation
- Forestry
- Marine farming
Legal advice is given by our lawyers who are assisted by a group of law student volunteers who answer telephones and assist with legal research.