Associate Professor Amanda Kennedy, Acting Director of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law, has been invited to make a presentation to the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) on hydraulic fracturing and other unconventional fossil fuel extraction processes to be held in May 2018. This follows on from her Australian Research Council funded research on the governance of extractive development, which focused particularly on issues of public participation and land use conflict over coal and coal seam gas development. Associate Professor Kennedy will work with colleagues from QUT and other organisations to present on the human rights dimensions of public participation in decision-making about extractive development in Australia.

Fracking

 The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) is based in Rome, and is an independent and internationally recognised public opinion tribunal. The tribunal hears cases where there is some evidence to suggest the human rights of individuals have been breached.

 The PPT on fracking was established following submissions from the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE), the Environment and Human Rights Advisory (EHRA) and the Human Rights Consortium (HRC). Dr Tom Kerns, Director of the EHRA in Oregon USA said: ‘The Tribunal will consider the human rights dimensions of a range of potential impacts: human and animal health, environmental, climatic, seismic, hydrologic and economic impacts, as well as those on local physical and social infrastructures. The PPT will be inviting witness testimony from citizens all over the world who may wish to hold preliminary mini-tribunals in their own country. Evidence and findings from those early tribunals can then be submitted to the later plenary hearings in the US and UK.’

 Congratulations Amanda on this significant achievement!