It’s time for the Yarra River to sue the beauty industry for its use of single-use plastics. These are destroying the natural beauty of the Birrarung.

The Yarra River / Birrarung is heavily polluted, emptying two million pieces of plastic into Port Phillip Bay every day. It’s also the only river in Australia recognised as a ‘living entity’ in state law.

This creates a legal loophole.

If the river asserts its personhood, it gains the right to sue. This has precedence in successful environmental protection cases in Canada, India, New Zealand and Ecuador.

The Birrarung Council is the statutory guardian of the Yarra and is able to represent its identity and interests in court.

We join forces with the Council and the Environmental Defenders Office - a charity that provides legal services for groundbreaking cases in environmental law.