New today on AUSPUBLAW: @lizhicks.bsky.social analyses the Federal Court’s reliance on the concept of ‘core policy’ in determining Commonwealth duties of care in relation to climate change in Pabai v Commonwealth: www.auspublaw.org/blog/2025/09...

In this post for auspublaw I share some thoughts on the recent Australian Federal Court decision of Pabai v Commonwealth. /1 www.auspublaw.org/home/2025/09...

Yesterday there have been protests for accelerated climate policies around the world. Starting tomorrow, I will post one reason for climate optimism every week to encourage people to keep up the momentum.

'“When you put together all the cases, it becomes apparent that the companies are using quite an aggressive legal strategy,” Bart-Jaap Verbeek said. “The arbitration clauses in the contracts the government signed with them allowed them to do this.”' Story via @rishpardikar.bsky.social.

“Different rules apply. After an act of violence, Democrats must be gracious, empathetic and call for calm on all sides, while Republicans can mock the victims, blame only one side and demand more violence.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“Those lofty words aged like milk this week as Albanese's government revealed its plans to water down Australia's transparency laws and make secrets easier to keep.” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

“The New South Wales environment watchdog sat on a report for four years linking elevated levels of lead in children’s blood to current mining, and promised mining companies they would not do any “finger-pointing”, new documents tabled in state parliament show.” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

A really clear account of the cost of English language dominance in science to non-native speakers, Indigenous knowledge holders and to understandings of #climate and #biodiversity insideclimatenews.org/news/0209202...

A column on a target www.theguardian.com/environment/...

There's a giant gas tank leaking methane in Darwin and the regulators all know but have kept it secret and now won't do anything to make Santos repair it. Oh and CSIRO knew too but didn't tell anyone. STRAYA www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

“The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children,” states the report. “With no benefit to society, it’s time for lawmakers at all levels to act.” Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. Cap SUV/truck hood heights. And ban unsafe designs.

Difficult to find an appropriate caption for this one

“Making these copyright cases rather than privacy and defamation means that the public interest in the footage and any consumer rights to know, as well as animal rights, can rightly be ignored. This is clearly not the purpose of the Copyright Act…” www.uts.edu.au/news/2025/08...

Every country in the world that's less than 2% of the world's emissions adds up to 36% of the world's emissions (greater than China's proportion) So we're clear: it is WORSE for a world leader to say something like than to start blabbering about CO2 being plant food. This stuff *sounds convincing*

The same groups advising on how to disarm the intergenerational economic bombs that have started to explode are the same groups that helped set them, writes Amy Remeikis.

Australia's two greatest features - abundant free public toilets and solar power - in a single building

In the fight against slavery abolitionists eventually prevailed over slave owners. The fight wasnt won in the sensible centre but by ‘extremists’ who risked everything to save the lives of others. It scares me to think how the ABC would cover such a debate today. theconversation.com/friday-essay...

“This seems to be a situation where a very narrow chain of reasoning around property law leads to a really perverse outcome when it comes to freedom of speech and freedom of political communication.” www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/law-cri...

My write up on last week’s first “ag gag” SLAPP suit in Australia, which has implications beyond just exposing animal cruelty. Could copyright be used to suppress information from the public sphere and undermine media freedom? pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/cou...

Excellent coverage of this on tonight’s episode of Media Watch www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/e...

“A special unit in Israel’s military was tasked with identifying reporters it could smear as undercover Hamas fighters, to target them and to blunt international outrage over the killing of media workers, the Israeli-Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine reports.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

A cat wrote this www.wcax.com/2025/08/13/p...

Until recently, the term "occupation" in Israel was used to underscore its negative connotations. This is changing. ITAMAR MANN (@itamann.bsky.social‬) on the shifting meaning of the word – and why it now obscures something worse: expulsion and destruction. verfassungsblog.de/occupation-a...

The Australian Federal Court of Appeal just handed down a decision that has significant consequences for media freedom as well as animal welfare. It’s not getting enough attention, and it should be. A quick thread. /1

“The analysis, conducted by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, includes estimates of heat-related fatalities, detailed suburb-level mapping of coastal inundation… and “shocking” forecasts of impacts on the agricultural sector” www.afr.com/policy/energ...

"The Struggle Against Fossil Sovereignty" JOCHEN VON BERNSTORFF and INGO VENZKE explain why the ICJ's climate advisory opinion lends further support to efforts aimed at pushing back against the legal protection of fossil fuel extraction and production. verfassungsblog.de/icj-climate-...

“Anthony Kelly from Melbourne Activist Legal Support, a group which regularly attends protests as a legal observer, said police already had the powers they needed to shut down neo-Nazi gatherings.” www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

“The union said the cuts were the worst since 2014, when the Abbott government oversaw an estimated 20% reduction in staff.” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Enjoyed speaking to Ethan Hamilton @ Law Society Journal about how the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change will shape Australia’s obligations to our Pacific neighbours, particularly as one of the largest exporters of fossil fuels in the world. lsj.com.au/articles/int...

“Such a response would be significant over-reach that would open a door to funding of Australia’s higher education being manipulated for political considerations.” www.nteu.au/News_Article...

“Minns’ stance on protests has drawn sharp criticism from members of his own right faction as well as from the soft left, who are increasingly dismayed that Minns appears to be more attuned to the News Corp media and talkback radio than his own party.” www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

My colleague Prof Ben Saul sets out the compelling moral and legal case for recognition. www.smh.com.au/world/middle...

"EU rules on environmental and climate regulations, such as laws governing deforestation and methane, were among those raised in talks ahead of Sunday’s deal, officials said" www.ft.com/content/82ba...

“Nearly a fifth of our domestic emissions now come from digging up gas and coal for export industries that contribute little to the public good or broader economy.“ www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topi...

My new column for @canarymedia.com kinda sums up what I’ve learned over 20 years of climate reporting. It’s about what the transformation of the (fucked up but improving) energy sector can teach us about the (fucked up and not improving) food/ag/land sector. www.canarymedia.com/articles/foo...

Shot by a settler

I, for one, am shocked 😒 www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Both the major parties are experiencing climate policy woes. Follow #auspol as it happens, with fact checks, on Australia Institute Live with @amyremeikis.bsky.social. live.australiainstitute.org.au

Just in case anyone was labouring under the delusion there was a coordinated strategy to flip to more accurate / moral coverage. A couple of days of pointing out there's a famine, then back to giving propaganda top billing. 18/30 paragraphs in this story are just Israeli officials lying.

It's going to be an ongoing propaganda victory for Australia that these articles keep getting pumped out with zero context or even a slight mention of the fact that Australia disproportionately contributes to why they're being forced to relocate Like Israel's 'humanitarian aid drops'....

Really enjoyed speaking to @roycerk2.bsky.social of @drilledmedia.bsky.social about the significance of the Pabai v Commonwealth decision in the rear view mirror of the ICJ advisory opinion.

MORNING AUSTRALIA I found a fun and frightful little chart buried in the government's own data, revealing that even they expect domestic gas consumption to never return to its glory days THE GAS SHORTAGE IS A BIG LIE USED TO JUSTIFY EASING APPROVALS = SUBSIDIES FOR HUGE NEW FF PROJECTS

Dr Ella Vines and I enjoyed speaking with Jo Lauder about what the ICJ Advisory Opinion might mean for Australia and our downstream (exported) emissions. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

“If you want to reduce climate change in the short term, it’s really important for us to focus on short-lived climate pollutants, which include methane. It’s also important for us to focus on protecting natural ecosystems,” - Emily Cassidy, PD Fellow @enviroem.bsky.social @sentientmedia.org

Third of ‘slum residents’ in global south are exposed to ‘disastrous’ flood risks www.carbonbrief.org/third-of-slu...

“The UK government was secretly advised that Palestine Action is “highly unlikely” to advocate for violence while officials struggled to produce evidence the group posed a national security threat, it can be revealed.” www.declassifieduk.org/revealed-how...

"The Malinauskas state government has connected the bloom to climate change and voiced concerns the problem will occur again" That's 👍 hope the South Australia govt also connects climate change to u know, being at the disposal of the Oil & Gas industry, offering fossil fuels a pathway to the future