Rising Waters: Climate Justice and Flood Resilience

Join us for a keynote address by the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court.

This will be followed by a panel discussion with Justice Kirby, the Australian Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay, and Chief Advocate at Indigenous Energy Australia and distinguished Torres Strait Islander, Vonda Malone.

Climate change is no longer solely an environmental or economic issue. It is increasingly recognised as one of the defining human rights challenges of our time. Rising seas, intensifying floods and accelerating environmental disruption threaten fundamental rights, including the rights to life, housing, health, culture, and self-determination.

This special event brings together leading voices in law, human rights, Indigenous leadership and climate advocacy to examine how climate change is reshaping the landscape of justice, governance and human dignity.

The evening will open with a keynote address by The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court of Australia, on climate justice and the evolving relationship between climate change and human rights. Drawing on decades of legal and judicial experience, Justice Kirby will reflect on how climate change challenges existing legal frameworks and why a human rights-based approach is essential to ensuring fairness, accountability, and protection for present and future generations.

This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring:

• Australian Human Rights Commissioner Dr Lorraine Finlay, a leading Australian human rights lawyer and academic, with extensive expertise in public law, international human rights law, and regulatory governance. Commissioner Finlay will speak on the Commission’s landmark report, Human Rights on a Warming Earth, which recognises climate change as a profound and escalating threat to human rights in Australia.
• Vonda Malone, General Manager and Chief Advocate, Indigenous Energy Australia, the first woman elected Mayor of Torres Shire Council who has spent more than two decades in public service advancing the rights, sovereignty and resilience of Torres Strait Islander communities. Vonda will share her lived experience at the frontline of climate change in the Torres Strait and on her experiences with the United Nations Indigenous Fellowship Program, where she contributed to global dialogue on Indigenous rights and environmental justice. She will also discuss her work with Indigenous Energy Australia, highlighting the critical importance of Indigenous leadership in shaping a just energy transition and ensuring that climate responses respect cultural sovereignty and self-determination.

Following the panel discussion, guests will be invited to view Dr Brydon Wang’s solo exhibition, which explores themes of vulnerability, flood resilience and the human experience of living with water in an era of environmental transformation. The event also marks the launch of the Springer book Large Floating Structures, which examines how floating architecture and infrastructure may support communities facing rising sea levels and climate risk.