Michelle is a lively, engaging and inspiring public speaker, and welcomes invitations to speak at conferences, workshops, webinars and professional development events and retreats. She has been a keynote speaker at conferences and other events (online and in-person) for topics as diverse as Rights of Nature and Earth-centred governance, Earth-centred urban planning, sustainability in accountability, the environmental impacts of war and militarism and much more.
Webinars – Guest speaker
- Keynote presentation, with Mary Graham “Climate Change Education Summit”, for Centre for Regenerating Futures, Deakin University, 18 October 2024
- “Careers for emerging law and justice graduates: environmental law and ecological justice”, Webinar – Panel Discussion for QUT Academics and Students, 10 September 2024
- “Localisation and bioregional economies”, Webinar – Panel Discussion, for New Economy Network Australia, 21 June 2024
- “The ongoing crisis of water injustice on the Barka River”, Webinar – Launch event for ANU Water Justice Hub, ‘Virtual Exhibition: AquaWhen’, 15 September 2022
- ‘Women’s Climate Conversations 2021 #6 (August) Listening to First Nations knowledge to inform Earth-centred, collaborative governance’, Webinar/Panel Discussion, for Women’s Climate Congress, 10 August 2021
- ‘Could Australian Politicians Soon Be Prosecuted for Ecocide?’, Webinar – Panel Discussion, hosted by the Green Institute, 29 July 2021
- ‘Co-creating an International Movement for the World We Want’, Webinar – Panel Discussion, hosted by Local Futures, 21 June 2021
- ‘Co-creating a Movement for the World We Want’, International Webinar hosted by Local Futures, 21 June 2021
- ‘Earth laws and Rights of Nature’ – Guest speaker, Webinar hosted by NSW Young Lawyers, 15 June 2021
- “Earth laws, arts & creativity: the work of AELA”, Guest speaker, Webinar hosted by Redline Arts Group, United Kingdom, 9 June 2021
- “Rights of Nature in Practice” – Webinar/Online Workshop for the NSW Greens Conference, 9 May 2021
- ‘Sessions from the Deep: Making Waves’, Guest speaker, Webinar hosted by Youth for Our Planet Asia-Pacific, 10 April 2021
- ‘The Feminist Legal Judgment Writing Project’, Webinar- Panel Discussion hosted by Pakistani Feminist Judgments Project, 27 March 2021
- ‘The Royal Societies of Australia Stewardship of Country – From Past to Future – Part 3 of a Virtual Event Series’, Webinar -Panel Discussion hosted by Royal Societies of Australia and Inspiring Australia Victoria, 24 March 2021
- ‘Ecological Law and Degrowth’, Webinar – Panel Discussion hosted by the Ecological Law and Governance Association, 17 March 2021
- ‘(Co)Housing Ecologies – Part 2 Systems of collective resilience’, Guest speaker, Webinar hosted by CoHousing Australia, 17 February 2021
- ‘Sustainability & Caring for Country – First Nations Partnerships’, Webinar – Panel Discussion hosted by University of Queensland Sustainability, 16 February 2021
- ‘Rights of Nature or Rights of People?’ Webinar – Panel Discussion, Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) ‘Restoring the Climate – I am the Solution‘, 6 February 2021
- ‘Should the moon have legal personhood?’ Webinar – Panel Discussion, August 2020
- ‘Greenprints and bioregional governance’, presentation as part of online forum “Our Place-Getting to Know Our Bioregion (Sunshine Coast), Saturday 18 April 2020
- Climate Justice in Australia, Webinar – Panel Discussion hosted by the Progressive Law Network and Monash University, 1 April 2020
- Online Book launch – “From Environmental to Ecological Law” – (speaking in the recording from 1.08), February 2020
- Rights of Nature and Earth Laws in Australia’, Presentation, 10th Geneva Forum, United Nations, Geneva – Rights of Nature for Peace and Development (via zoom), 10 December 2018
- ‘Advocating for the Rights of Nature in Australia: The work of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance’, Guest speaker, Webinar – 0 Year Celebration of Rights of Nature in Ecuador, hosted by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, 27 September 2018, Quito, Ecuador (via zoom)
Conferences – Keynotes and Panel Discussions
- Forthcoming – “Mobilising health agendas in economic health policy spaces”, Panel Discussion, Commerce, Economy, Trade and Public Health Conference, for the Public Health Association Australia, 18 November 2024, Melbourne
- “Future law – reflecting on the Relationalist Ethos and Bioregional Governance”, Keynote Presentation with Dr Mary Graham, Global Summit for Implementing and Enforcing Environmental Law, AELERT-INECE, 8 November 2024, Brisbane, Queensland
- “Building Earth-centred economies, ethics and governance in a time of crisis: the critical role of civil society”, Keynote Presentation, Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics (ANZSEE), 6 October 2024, Stradbroke Island, Queensland
- “Has environmental utilitarianism failed?” Panel discussion with Professor Erik Gomez-Baggethun, Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics (ANZSEE), 5 October 2024, Stradbroke Island, Queensland
- “Rights of Nature and Earth Laws: An Australian Perspective” , Keynote Speaker, ‘Anima Animalia‘, Annual Symposium hosted by the Pilgrim Ecological Society, Czech Republic (online), 10 August 2023
- “The Environmental Impacts of War and Militarism”, Keynote Speaker, Peace in the Pacific Conference, organised by IPAN, 28 July 2023
- “Accountability and Sustainable Transitions”, Invited speaker, International Sociological Association (ISA) World Congress, Melbourne, 28 June 2023
- “Earth centred governance”, Keynote Speaker, Ecosummit Conference, Gold Coast, 13 June 2023
- “Sustainable visions of the future”, Invited Speaker, Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN) Conference, Sydney, 3 May 2023
- Urban Greening Conference 2023, Keynote Speaker, Sydney 27 April 2023
- “Reimagining Law and Governance in Australia: Greenprints”, Invited Speaker, IUCN Conference, QUT, Brisbane, 22 July 2022
- “Sustainable Action for Climate Change: Geography in Conversation”, Invited Speaker, Royal Society of Queensland, Brisbane, 28 March 2023
- “The ideas that lie beneath: Earth laws and Earth jurisprudence,” Invited Speaker, Risk and Resilience Summit, Australian Government, Sydney, 29 June 2022
- “Earth jurisprudence and the work of AELA”, Invited Speaker, Queensland Faith Communities Conference, Brisbane, 22 June 2022
- “Ladauto Si, Earth laws and new economic frameworks,” Invited Speaker, for the Catholic Religious Australia Conference, Sydney, 24 May 2022
- “Weaving Up Renewal — Caring for Future Generations and the Earth”, Invited Speaker, Panel discussion at the online National Congress of Women event, 28 April 2022.
- “The ongoing crisis of water injustice on the Barka River”, ANU Water Justice Hub, ‘Virtual Exhibition: AquaWhen’, 15 September 2021
- ‘Ecological Law and Regulation to Achieve Degrowth”, The International Society for Ecological Economics and European Society for Ecological Economics Degrowth Conference, 8 July 2021
- “Rights of Nature in Practice” – Workshop for the NSW Greens Conference, 9 May 2021
- ‘Declaration on the Rights of the Moon’ Panel Discussion, International Association for the Study of the Commons 2021 Commons in Space Virtual Conference, 26 March 2021
- ‘Life after the pandemic’, Politics in the Pub, hosted by Communify, The Powerhouse, New Farm, Brisbane, 17 March 2021
- ‘Rights of Nature or Rights of People?’ Panel Discussion, Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) ‘Restoring the Climate – I am the Solution‘, 6 February 2021
- ‘Rights of Nature in Australia: can we decolonise and rethink the Rights of Nature?’, Global Forum on Human Rights and Rights of Nature, Widener Law School and CDER, New Orleans, 2 October 2020
- ‘The New Economy and bioregional governance,’ 22 March, 2020, “Going Local – Hope in a Time of Crisis“, Conference organised by Local Futures and NENA/New Economy Network Australia
- ‘The Stories Not Being Told: Earth centred governance and the Australian Peoples’ Tribunal’, presentation at ‘Storying Climate Change and the ‘Environmental Resonance’ Dilemma‘, 27 February 2020, hosted by University of Melbourne
- ‘Challenging Consumption and the Right to Repair’, presentation at ‘Right to Repair Symposium‘, 6 February 2020, hosted by the Law Futures Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane
- Bioregional Governance Public Lectures – Margaret River (2 October), Bunbury (3 October), Perth (5 October) Byron Bay (3 November) 2019
- ‘Rights of Nature and Bioregional Governance’, Presentation, WA State NRM and Coastal Conference, 1-4 October, 2019 Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA
- ‘The future of water,’ Final Panel Discussion, Liveable Cities Conference, Adelaide, 13 August 2019
- ‘Rights of Nature Laws Around the World: Perspectives from Australia and the Pacific’, Public Seminar, IRD/SPREP, Noumea, New Caledonia, 26 June 2019
- ‘Rights of Nature and Legal Personhood for Nature: Perspectives from Australia and the Pacific’, Invited Speaker, Pacific Biodiversity Conference, IRD/SPREP, Noumea, New Caledonia, 24-25 June 2019
- ‘Earth laws and Bioregional Governance,’ Presentation as part of the ELGA Panel “Themes in Ecological Law and Governance”, Annual CANSEE Conference (Canadian Society for Ecological Economics), 24 May 2019 (via internet)
- Sustainability Round Table with Jane Goodall, Macquarie University Law School, 7 May 2019
- Rights of Nature and Earth Laws in Australia’, Presentation, 10th Geneva Forum, United Nations, Geneva – Rights of Nature for Peace and Development (via zoom), 10 December 2018
- ‘The future for agri-food research, policy and activism in the Anthropocene – the role of Earth laws’, Opening Panel Discussion, Agri-food XXV: Celebrating 25 Years of Australasian Agri-Food Research, University of Queensland, 5 December 2018
- ‘The Human Right to a Healthy Environment and the Rights of Nature’, Presentation at ‘Human Rights, Fracking and Climate Change’ Seminar, co-hosted by EDO Qld, Griffith University and AELA, 4 December 2018
- ‘Creating an Earth centred future: law, economics, ethics and education”, Keynote Presentation, Alternative Futures Symposium, University of Newcastle, 22-23 November 2018, UTS, Sydney
- ‘Bioregional Governance and Earth centred law,” Presentation, Exploring our legal relationship with living world, Brisbane, 25-26 October 2018
- “Earth jurisprudence and building an Earth centred society,” Invited Speaker/Public Lecture, St. Mary’s in Exile, South Brisbane, 9 October 2018
- ‘Advocating for the Rights of Nature in Australia: The work of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance’, Invited Speaker, 10 Year Celebration of Rights of Nature in Ecuador, hosted by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, 27 September 2018, Quito, Ecuador (via zoom)
- “Using the law for people and planet,” Invited Speaker/Panel Discussion at UTS Law Students Association Conference, Ultimo, Sydney, 11 August 2018
- “Using law and regulation to challenge consumption and planned obsolescence”, Invited Speaker, Zero Waste Forum, Winter Solstice Festival, Northey Street, 23 June 2018
- ‘Building an Earth centred legal system: Rights of Nature and Bioregional Governance”, 23 June, 2018 Queensland Ornithological Conference, Brisbane
- “The work of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance”, Earth Trusteeship Conference, The Hague, 22 June (via internet)
- “A pathway to Earth centred, bio-regional governance: the GreenPrints approach”, RenewFest, May 2018
- ‘Responding to the Reports of the Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law (APEEL): Rights of Nature and Bioregional Environmental Governance’, at the APEEL Conference, “Better laws for a better planet: a symposium on the future of Australia’s environmental laws”, University House, ANU, Canberra 28 March 2018
- “Food systems and the 2018 Rights of Nature Tribunal”, Transition Film Festival, Brisbane 23 March 2018
- ‘When objects become subjects: the global Rights of Nature movement, and what it means for Australia”, Frontiers Environmental Law Conference, Hobart, February 5-6 February 2018
- ‘The failing of environmental law and why we need Rights of Nature laws”, Rights of Nature Symposium, 27 October 2017, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
- ‘GreenPrints: an approach for implementing ecological economics,’ Canadian Society for Ecological Economics Conference, October 2017, Montreal
- ‘How can we change the world?’ Evening Seminar/Panel Discussion hosted by QUT Business School, also featuring Professor Will Steffen and Dr Richard Denniss at QUT Gardens Point, 31 August 2017
- ‘The Rights of Nature – An Overview”‘, Legal Status of Rivers Symposium, AELA and CREEL/Melbourne Law School, July 2017
- ‘Careers in Sustainability – Earth Centred Law and Governance”, Invited Speaker, Student Symposium, University of Queensland, July 2017
- ‘Threats to land and water in Australia: mega mines and environmental justice’, Beyond Mining Symposium, Santiago de Compostela (Spain), 3 March 2017
- ‘Earth Jurisprudence and Responding to the Great Work’, Nature in Culture Symposium, Sydney Environment Institute, 23 February 2017
- ‘Teaching Earth Jurisprudence: Building Capacity for Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving’, Frontiers3, Melbourne Law School 16 February 2017
- ‘AELA’s GreenPrints Program and The Role of The Arts’, InterCreate Panel, Global Ecologies and Local Impacts Conference, Sydney Environment Institute, Sydney University, 23-25 November 2016
- ‘Next generation environmental law or echoes of 1984? Regulating consumption in industrialised societies”, Global Ecologies and Local Impacts Conference, Sydney Environment Institute, Sydney University, 23-25 November 2016
- ‘The New Economy and our Relationship with the Natural World: An Earth Jurisprudence Approach’, “Building the New Economy: enterprise, activism and social change Conference”, Glebe Town Hall, Sydney 15-16 August 2016
- ‘Regulating Consumption: A Framework for Taking Collective Action’, Opening presentation at AELA’s “Let’s Talk About Consumption” Symposium, Melbourne, 4 March 2016
- ‘Ownership Matters in the Sharing Economy’, Invited Speaker, Panel Discussion for Melbourne Sustainability Festival, 18 February 2016.
- ‘Regulating Consumption: A Framework for Taking Collective Action’, Opening presentation at AELAs “Let’s Talk About Consumption” Symposium, Brisbane, 28 August 2015
- ‘Australia’s Response to Climate Change: A Case Study in What Not to Do to Your Carbon Price’, Invited Speaker, Environmental and Earth Law Summit, Barry University, Florida, USA, 9 April 2015
- ‘Earth jurisprudence and environmental law – what’s in it for you?’ – Public lecture for Environmental Law Students Society, Barry University, Florida, 30 March 2015
- ‘The Precautionary Principle in theory and practice’ – Public lecture, Miami Dade University, 20 March 2015
- ‘Implementing Earth jurisprudence: The Work of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance’, Guest lecture, California Institute for Integral Studies, San Francisco, 3 March 2015
- ‘Rights of Nature and Protected Areas’, Paper presented at IUCN World Parks Congress, Green Justice Panel, Sydney 17 November 2014
- ‘The implications of Planetary Boundaries for Earth Jurisprudence and national environmental regulation’, Invited Speaker, New Zealand Earth Laws Conference on Sustainability, Wellington, New Zealand, 14-17 March 2014
- ‘Ecological Limits, Planetary Boundaries and Earth Jurisprudence’, Paper presented at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law Conference, Waikato, New Zealand 26-28 June 2013
- ‘Using The Law to Support Community Climate Action,’ Invited Speaker – Public lecture and panel discussion at the Australian Climate Action Summit Forum, NSW Parliament House, 21 June 2013
- ‘Access to Environmental Justice in Queensland – News from the Trenches’, Invited Speaker, Environmental Justice Symposium hosted by Sydney University Law School, 5 May 2013
- ‘Environmental Justice and the Role of Governments,’ Invited Speaker, Environmental Justice Symposium, co-hosted by Victorian Environment Defenders Office and Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law (CREEL), Melbourne University, Melbourne, 27 July 2012
- ‘Wild Law and Earth jurisprudence’, Invited Speaker, Sustainable Engineers Symposium, June 2012
- ‘Climate Justice: Gaps and Opportunities in Government Policy’, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility Conference ‘Adaptation in Action’ , Melbourne, June 2012
- ‘Finding limits for human societies: can Earth Jurisprudence put the brakes on unsustainable consumption?’, Earth Jurisprudence: Building Theory and Practice Conference, Griffith University, Brisbane 16-18 September 2011
- ‘Wild Law – An Introduction’ – Public Seminar at Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane, July 2011
- ‘Next Generation Environmental Law or Echoes of 1984? Regulating Individuals for Environmental Outcomes’, Colloquium, Griffith University, July 2011
- ‘Limiting Consumption – Wild Law in Practice?’, ‘Keeping the Fire’ Conference, July 2010, Wollongong University
- ‘Transforming Domestic Consumption Patterns in Urban Water Supply in South East Queensland’, joint paper with Professor Jan McDonald, International Climate Change Adaptation Conference, June 2010, Gold Coast
- ‘Going Against the Flow: Transforming Urban Water Consumption’, joint paper with Professor Jan McDonald, Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, December 2009, Brisbane
Podcasts and Media Interviews
- Radio National Interview, 2 October 2024, ‘Pacific nations bring ecocide to the International Criminal Court’
- Earth Charter International: Reflections on the Rights of Nature, Earth Laws, and Earth-centered Governance with Michelle Maloney, 17 April 2023
- ABC Radio, Rights of Nature emerging in the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, October 2022
- Michelle Maloney asks how do we nurture the conditions for humans to care about the more than human world? 7 September 2022.
- Greenprints with Dr Michelle Maloney, podcast from the Post-Growth Australia Podcast with Michael Bayliss, 23 Aug 2022.
- ABC Radio Melbourne, The Conversation Hour, “Why is a wellbeing economy important?“, Friday 5 August 2022
- ‘Forgotten River: Voice of Real Australia‘, Podcast, 15 Sep 2021.
- ‘Does nature have rights?’, Cosmos Magazine, 7 July 2021
- ‘Earth laws and the work of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance,’ Mind Waves Radio Show, 7 June 2021
- Episode 35: Earth Laws Warrior with Michelle Maloney and Morag Gamble, Permaculture Education Institute podcast, 30 March 2021.
- ABC Radio National, interviewed for article about the Declaration of the Rights of the Moon, March 2021
- ‘Systems Change for a Sustainable Economy’, podcast with Andrew Nicholson, HOPE, 2 October 2020
- ‘Greenprints and AELA’s vision for future governance‘, interview with Andrew Ward, Ethical Fields, as part of their ‘Common Wealth Building’ Series, 26 August 2020
- ‘Beyond Crisis – creating systems change‘, “The Sustainability Hour”, 18 August 2020
- ‘Degrowth and Earth centred economies‘, interview with Michael Bayliss, Post Growth Australia, 4 August 2020.
- ‘Rights of Nature developments in Australia’, presentation and interview with Mari Margil and Thomas Linzey, Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (CDER) – also featuring Diane Evers, WA Member of Parliament, 10 July 2020. See also: https://youtu.be/qVbmnmXa-3w
- ‘Rights of Nature and Earth jurisprudence – an introduction‘, Online “Couch Chat” with Cate Faehrmann, NSW Member of Parliament, 17 April 2020
- Earth jurisprudence and the Great Work, Thresholds Podcast, Rahamim Ecology Centre, interview with Sally Neaves, 3 March 2020