Mornington Peninsula council considers unusual legal idea

The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council will consider integrating nature rights into its planning processes and education campaigns.

In a Victorian first, Councillor Debra Mar is pushing for a new framework considering the legal rights of nature. She says the council’s existing policies are not doing enough to protect the region’s ecosystems.

Co-founder and national convener of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance, Dr Michelle Maloney, says Rights of Nature are misunderstood and implementing the council’s plan would not mean people could be sued by trees.

“It’s not that radical an idea,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“It’s a legal movement of people saying we’ve destroyed so much of the world … how do we realign human beings inside their unique places that they live?”

“The big picture for rights of nature is ‘How do we live here forever?'”

Press PLAY below to hear about the idea