Australia hasn’t embraced the rights of nature movement with the same enthusiasm as some overseas jurisdictions, but a law setting out to protect Victoria’s Yarra River (Birrarung, as it’s known to Traditional Owners) offers a case for more buy-in from legislators.
The Yarra River (Birrarung) law has been identified by the United Nations as a legislative example of the rights of nature. Comparable laws abroad might go further, but the law signifies a shift in the way governments think about protecting natural environments.
The law covers the river and “certain public land in its vicinity for the purpose of protecting it as one living and integrated natural entity”, a holistic view that is consistent with the Traditional Owners’ understanding. The preamble, which has been written in both English and the Traditional Owners’ language of Woi-wurrung, states that “the Birrarung is alive, has a heart, a spirit and is part of our Dreaming.”
