Dr Peter Burdon

Biography/ Background

Peter Burdon is a Lecturer at the Adelaide Law School and a member of the management committee of the University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion (RUSSLR). RUSSLR is the first research centre or institution of its kind in Australia, devoted to the sustained and focussed study of the relationship between law, culture and religion. Peter holds a BA (History/Philosophy), LLB (hons) and a PhD from the University of Adelaide. His PhD won the Bonython Prize and a University Research Medal for best original thesis. It will be published as part of the Routledge 'Law, Justice and Ecology' series.

Since 2005 Peter has worked with Friends of the Earth Adelaide in the Clean Futures Collective. In this role he has engaged in community advocacy, developed submissions in response to mining projects in South Australia, acted as media spokesperson, organised working trips to aboriginal communities in northern South Australia and organised significant public conferences. Peter also sits on the Ethics Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the executive committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and on the management committee of the Environmental Defenders Office (SA). From 2007-2011 Peter sat on the executive committee of the Conservation Council South Australia. Peter is a National Tertiary Education Union delegate for the law school. 

Peter lives in the Adelaide plains with his beautiful wife, dancing daughter and baby boy.

Qualifications

PhD University of Adelaide, 2011

LLB (hons) University of Adelaide, 2007

BA (history/philosophy) University of Adelaide, 2003

Awards & Achievements

University Doctoral Research Medal, 2012.

Bonython Prize for the Best Orginal Postgraduate Thesis, 2012.

Executive Dean of the Faculty of the Professions Prize for Excellence in Teaching, 2011 (with Paul Babie and Paul Leadbeter).

FA & MF Joyner Scholarship in Law, 2008-2011.

Research Interests

Legal Education

Property Theory

Legal Theory and Critical Theory

Ecological Jurisprudence

Protest Law and Civil Disobedience

Publications

Books (sole author)

Earth Jurisprudence: Private Property and the Environment (Routledge Press, forthcoming 2012). 

 

Books (edited)

Wild Law: Theory and Practice (Routledge Press, 2012) w Michelle Maloney

Exploring Wild Law: The Philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence (Wakefield Press, 2011).

• Click here to view extract.

  

Chapters in Books

'The Great Law' in Peter Burdon (ed), Exploring Wild Law: The Philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence (Wakefield Press, 2011).

• 'The Great Law' republished with permission in (2011) 15 Southern Cross University Law Review 1 (Special edition from 'Keeping the Fire: Australia's Second Conference on Wild Law'). 

'The Ecozoic Era' in Peter Burdon (ed), Exploring Wild Law: The Philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence (Wakefield Press, 2011).

 

Articles

refereed

'A Theory of Earth Jurisprudence' (2012) Australian Journal of Legal Philosophy (forthcoming)

'The Future of a River: Earth Jurisprudence and the Murray Darling Basin'  (2012) 37(2) Alternative Law Journal (forthcoming)

'Earth jurisprudence: Private Property and Earth Community' (2011) 144 (3&4) Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 109.

‘The Jurisprudence of Thomas Berry’ (2011) 11 Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology 151.

'Earth Rights: The Theory' (2011) 1 IUCN Academy of Environmental Law E-Journal. 

‘What is Good Land Use? From Rights to Responsibilities’ (2010) 34(3) Melbourne University Law Review 708.

‘Wild Law: The Philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence’ (2010) 35(2) Alternative Law Journal 62.

‘The Rights of Nature: Reconsidered’ (2010) 49 Australian Humanities Review 69.

 

non refereed

Interview in Greg Foyster 'Should Nature Have Rights?', G-Magazine, October/November 2011. 

'Rights of Nature in the Kimberley', Kimberley Calling, 1 September 2011.

'What if Trees Could Sue?', ABC Environment, 17 May 2011.

• Extracted in 'Cut & Paste' The Australian, May 18, 2011.
• Listed in ABC Top Ten Environment Stories for 2011. 

'Conversations -1: When Gaia Hires a Lawyer' 13(2) Greenspirit (2011) 14

‘Private Property and Agrarianism’, Chain Reaction Magazine, 13 May 2010.  

‘Thomas Berry and a New Jurisprudence’ Earthsong, 12 December 2009.

‘Wild Law’ Arena Magazine, April 2009.  

‘Towards an Earth-Friendly Legal System’ 2009 19(12) Eureka St 3.

‘Earth Jurisprudence’ Chain Reaction Magazine, 1 August 2009.

‘Native Title and the Clash of Civilization’ Chain Reaction Magazine, 1 December 2008.

‘Trial Uranium Mining in South Australia’ Chain Reaction Magazine, 14 September 2008.

‘Above the law? The Roxby Downs Indenture Ratification Act 1982 (SA)’ Chain Reaction Magazine, 1 May 2006.

‘Reforming Native Title’ Friends of the Earth Magazine, 25 August 2007. 

 

Public Lectures, Conference and Seminar Presentations

‘The Project of Earth Democracy’ (Paper presented at ‘Celebrating 20 Years of the Global Ecological Integrity Group’, University of La Rochelle, France, 21 June 2012) Invited (forthcoming)

‘Self, Community and Ecological Jurisprudence’ (Paper presented at 'Human Rights and the Environment: In Search of a New Relationship', Onati, Spain, 15 June 2012) Invited (forthcoming)

'Ecocentric Law' (Paper Presented at Progressive Law Network: Legal (r)evolution, Melbourne, 16 March 2012). Invited

'The Future of Environmental Law' (Paper Presented to Eco-Action, Kingscote, 2 January 2012) Invited.

'Earth Jurisprudence' (Paper Presented at The Future of Environmental Law, Sydney, 25 November 2011) Invited.

'Whose Planet is it Anyway?' (Paper presented at Earth Station Festival: The Planet Talks, Belair National Park, 22 October 2011) Invited.

• Presentation recorded for ABC 'Big Ideas' Program

'Toward an Ecocentric Theory of Private Property' (Paper presented at Earth Jurisprudence: Building Theory and Practice, Griffith University, 17 September 2011) Invited. 

'Introduction to Wild Law' (Paper presented at Earth Jurisprudence: Building Theory and Practice, Griffith University, 16 September 2011) Invited. 

'Activist Legal Rights' (Paper presented at the Adelaide Activist Skill-share, Adelaide, 4 September 2011) Invited (w Greg Ogle).

'The Rights of Nature: Reconsidered' (Paper presented at the Adelaide Law School, Adelaide, 19 November 2010). 

‘Rights of Nature: Practical Developments’ (Paper presented at Environmental Defenders Office, Annual General Meeting, 26 October 2010) invited.

‘An Introduction to Wild Law’ (Paper presented at Flinders University Staff Seminar, Adelaide, 25 April 2010).

'An Introduction to Bioregionalism and Bioregional Mapping' (Paper Presented at the Nature Awareness School, Box Factory Community Centre, 30 October 2010) Invited (w Joel Catchlove).

'The Intersection Between Ecology and Law' (Paper presented at Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales sede, Quito, Ecuador, 6 September 2010) invited.

‘Wild Law in Australia and Environmental Jurisprudence’ (Paper presented at University of Wollongong, Wild Law and Legal Epistemologies, Wollongong, 26 July 2010) invited.

'Wild Law: An invitation to Environmental Jurisprudence’ (Paper presented at University of New South Wales, Australasian Philosophy Association, 8 July 2010) refereed.

‘Wild Law and the Authority of Law’ (Paper presented at Flinders University, Students of Sustainability, Adelaide, 5 July 2010) invited.

‘Wild Law and Biodiversity’ (Paper presented at Biodiversity & the Law: Building Blocks for Life, Adelaide, 3 May 2010) invited.

‘What is Good Land Use? From Rights to Obligations’ (Paper presented at From Plains to Plate, the Future of Food in South Australia, Adelaide, 12 February 2010) refereed.

‘Thomas Berry and a New Jurisprudence’ (Paper presented at Parliament of World Religions, Melbourne, 7 December 2009) refereed.   

‘Water and the Roxby Downs Indenture Act’ (Paper presented at Water Summit, Parliament House, Adelaide, 3 October 2009) invited.

‘Water Rights and Water Wrongs’ (Paper presented at World Water Day Conference, Adelaide, 7 March 2009) invited.

‘Whiteness, Law and Community Engagement’ (Paper presented at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Academy of DIY, Adelaide, Adelaide, 16 March 2008) invited.

‘Native Title and the Clash of Civilisations’ (Paper Presented at Law Without Borders, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2 May 2008) refereed.

 

Radio

ABC 891, Whose Planet is it Anyway?, 23 October 2011.

Radio National, Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, Wild Law in Australia and the US,  7 October 2011.

2SER Sydney, Radio Atticus, Competing Rights: Nature and Human Beings in Ecuador, 22 June 2011.  

Democracy Matters, KYRS Community Radio Pennsylvania USA 'Wild Law and the Rights of Nature', 28 January 2011.

2SER Sydney, Radio Atticus, Wild Law in Australia, 24 July 2010.  

Radio Adelaide, The Breakfast Show, Earth Rights, 16 October 2009.  

Evenings with Peter Goers, ABC 891, The Rights of Nature in the United States and Ecuador, 22 September 2009.  

Radio Adelaide, The Breakfast Show, Carbon Emissions and the Expansion of Olympic Dam, 2 April 2009.  

Evenings with Peter Goers, ABC 891, Art and the Environment, 21 October 2008.  

The Environment Show, 3D Radio, Water and the Expansion of Olympic Dam, 7 March 2008.  

Radio Adelaide, The Breakfast Show, Water and the Expansion of Olympic Dam, 2 March 2008.  

The Morning Show, 3CR Melbourne, Oban Trial Mine, 14 December 2007.

Radio Adelaide, The Breakfast Show, Oban Trial Mine, 14 December 2007.  

ABC Broken Hill, The Morning Show, Oban Trial Mine, 13 December 2007.  

The Radioactive Show, 3CR Melbourne, Reforming Native Title, 5 November 2006.  

The Radioactive Show, 3CR Melbourne, The Roxby Downs Indenture Act, 11 May 2006.

The Environment Show, 3D Radio Adelaide, The Roxby Downs Indenture Act, 5 May 2006.  

ABC Port Pirie, The Morning Show, The Roxby Downs Indenture Act, 3 May 2006.  

The Environment Show, 3D Radio Adelaide, Exhibition Marks Chernobyl’s Lingering Legacy, 5 April 2006.  

ABC Port Pirie, The Morning Show, Uranium Conference Sells Fools Gold, 12 January 2006.  

SBS Radio, Nepabunna Community Working Trip, 12 November 2005. 

 

Community Engagement

Ethics Specialist Group, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 2012-present

Delegate, National Tertiary Education Union, 2012-present

Executive Committee, Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, 2011-present

Management Committee, Environmental Defenders Office (SA), 2010-present

Executive Committee, Conservation Council South Australia, 2007-2011

Management Committee, Friends of the Earth Adelaide, 2005-2011

 

 

Expertise for Media Contact

Categories	Environment, Law, crime and justice
Expertise	Environmental Law, Mining Law, Aboriginal Legal Issues

Entry last updated: Sunday, 20 May 2012