To transition to a clean economy in a nature positive way, we need accountability and integrity in the public and private sectors for environmental targets. In Australia, we have extensive regulatory infrastructure around environmental approvals and soon to be widespread reform. We need to match this regulation and reform with accountability – the two must go hand-in-hand to have impact.

The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) launched the Whistleblower Project in 2023, a dedicated legal service to support and empower whistleblowers to speak up about wrongdoing in the public and private sectors. They provide legal advice and representation to whistleblowers, and continue our longstanding tradition of advocating for stronger legal protections for whistleblowers. Their legal and policy frameworks for environmental approvals are only as good as the accountability around them, and we want to empower scientists, researchers and practitioners with the knowledge and legal advice to speak up when they see that environmental regulations are being breached or targets not being met.

EIANZ holds members and certified professionals to account through the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and provides a free hotline for members to discuss ethical issues, but how are non-members held to account when it comes to environmental reporting?

In July 2024, The HRLC published Climate and Environmental Whistleblowing Guide, designed to be a practical guide to empower workers in the resources, environment, and government sectors to make safe disclosures of wrongdoing in a way that it is most likely to be addressed. Protection, support and legal advice for individuals who want to speak up about environmental wrongdoing is one of the biggest barriers to increasing transparency and accountability in Australia. The HRLC are committed to supporting brave individuals who are fighting for a nature positive transition, in a way that is socially positive and enables individuals to hold governments and corporations to account.

Join Senior Lawyer, Regina Featherstone for a discussion to hear about how the Human Rights Law Centre can bolster the legitimacy of all biodiversity frameworks by talking about collaboration and transparency in the Offsets lifecycle. We can learn how we can work together in this space and build trust in the community with current laws and future reform.

Regina Featherstone | Associate Legal Director at the Human Right Law Centre

Regina Featherstone joined the Human Rights Law Centre in July 2023. She is interim Associate Legal Director in the centre’s Whistleblower Project, which is designed to help protect whistleblowers and create stronger public interest accountability mechanisms in the government and private sector. It is the first service of its kind in Australia.

Prior to joining Human Rights Law Centre, Regina was a Senior Associate in the Pro Bono team at Allens. She also worked at Redfern Legal Centre in their employment team. There, she focused on migrant worker exploitation and workplace sexual harassment through casework, strategic advocacy and law reform. She brings her employment law expertise and understanding of the community legal sector to assist clients in coming forward on wrongdoing in the workplace and in breaking down structural barriers that prevent truth-telling.

For several years, Regina also worked as a solicitor on Nauru and across Australia assisting asylum seekers to secure refugee status.

Recently, Regina and Sharmilla Bargon (Redfern Legal Centre) were selected as The University of Sydney’s first Social Justice Practitioners in Residence, commencing in late 2023. Their project will complete research on the practice of non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment settlements and their impact on sexual harassment reform in Australia.

Regina sits on the board of the Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre and volunteers with both the Top End Womens Legal Service and Redfern Legal Centre.

This event will run off Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and will run for 1 hour. The webinar will be recorded therefore attendees and a link to the webinar will be sent to all registered attendees in the days after the webinar.

Consider joining as a student, associate or full member today! To receive the member rate to the webinar make sure you apply for membership prior to registering. Join here →