Associate Professor in water law, focusing on water justice & river rights. Member, Birrarung Council, voice of the living river. Settler on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country. Views are my own. https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/525453-erin-o'donnell
New open access paper on Australia's response to water theft with @rachelkillean.bsky.social and @cristyclark.bsky.social academic.oup.com/jel/advance-...
Rethinking the ‘carceral creep’ in water governance: enforcement, accountability, and restorative possibilities in Australia's Murray–Darling BasinAbstract. This article interrogates water theft in Australia as a lens through which to explore the ‘carceral creep’ in environmental governance. Situatingacademic.oup.comNew blog post on Australia's response to water theft and the interesting relationship between punitive and restorative approaches to justice and relational repair. With @cristyclark.bsky.social and #RachelKillean www.slsa.ac.uk/post/punishi...
Punishing Water ‘Theft’ in the Climate CrisisClimate change represents one of the most significant global challenges of our time, with far-reaching implications for environmental sustainability, economic development, public health, and social ju...www.slsa.ac.ukwww.abc.net.au/news/2026-07... A Wadi Wadi man has won a Supreme Court challenge to stop work on a contentious flood plain project in Victoria's north-west after the state government admitted it failed to properly consult with traditional owners.
Supreme Court battle over traditional owner consultation pauses flood worksThe Victorian government and a regional water authority have admitted they did not property consult with traditional owners before approving a controversial flood plain restoration project.www.abc.net.auAustralia is reviewing its plan governing water use in the Murray-Darling Basin and so far it's not looking good www.globalwaterforum.org/2026/07/09/t...
The Next Basin Plan–a disaster in the making - Global Water ForumThe Murray-Darling Basin is Australia’s breadbasket and home to threatened ecological communities and species. For many years there has been a contest between different Basin stakeholders as to how it...www.globalwaterforum.org"In a climate-unstable world, where environmental destruction moves faster than traditional litigation, giving mountains legal personality is not radical. It is the most practical tool we have left." www.pressreader.com/india/ht-raj...
PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine SubscriptionsDigital newsstand featuring 7000+ of the world’s most popular newspapers & magazines. Enjoy unlimited reading on up to 5 devices with 7-day free trial.www.pressreader.comHi blue friends in Switzerland and Germany! Come hang out with me next week in Zurich, Lucerne, Bern and Berlin! blue-community.net/2026/02/erin...
Erin O’Donnell coming to Europeblue-community.netThis is such sad news. Raul was enormously accomplished and unfailingly kind, generous and supportive.
Costa SamarasProf. Pacheco-Vega was an accomplished interdisciplinary environmental researcher, and mentor to many early career researchers. I was lucky to be his friend and colleague. A huge loss for the academic community.
Women in Australia, step up! #TransWomenAreWomen #TransRights actionnetwork.org/forms/nionwo...
Not in our Name Women AustraliaWe are women from every corner of society - mothers, daughters, friends, sisters, grandmothers, partners, colleagues, caregivers and leaders - united in rejecting the discrimination and exclusion of t...actionnetwork.orgNew short paper out today in E-International Relations: www.e-ir.info/2026/05/29/o... "More-than-human thinking opens a deeper question about democracy itself..."
Opinion – Reimagining Democratic Systems with More-than-humans – E-International RelationsWhat unites more-than-human approaches is a shared recognition that the future of democracy depends on reimagining the imaginaries on which it is built.www.e-ir.infoTop tips for ethical research with living rivers ❤️
Elizabeth Macphersonmothlife.org/article/rese... @cristyclark.bsky.social @ezzyod.bsky.social
"The entire catchment of the River Wye has been formally recognised as a living ecosystem with intrinsic rights in a charter" a first for Wales, second for the UK after the River Ouse in 2025. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
River Wye granted rights in UK first that could help in fight against pollutionCharter to be adopted along river’s entire catchment from Cambrian mountains to Chepstow and Bristol Channelwww.theguardian.com"If Western Australia writes strong rules now, the Martuwarra can remain a living river that sustains culture, communities and fishing for generations. A legacy all Australians can be proud of." www.watoday.com.au/national/wes...
Protect the Martuwarra Fitzroy River before it becomes another Murray-DarlingI’ve watched what happens when governments let water extraction get ahead of science, enforcement and common sense.www.watoday.com.au