The Beeliar Group is a multidisciplinary group of professors, dedicated to furthering the principles and practices that protect, sustain and nourish the environment. Its origins lie in the Western Australian government’s commencement of the Roe Highway extension, which formed part of a highly controversial Perth Freight Link, and cut through the highly significant wetlands and woodlands of Beeliar Regional Park. Greatly perturbed by the project’s ecological and social implications, and by the government’s lack of accountability, the Beeliar Group came together to provide reasoned argument against the development. It also resolved that it would thereafter carefully scrutinise and, as necessary, speak out on government and private sector decisions and actions that have or are likely to have important environmental and social consequences in WA. The Group seeks to provide constructive criticism and put forward options for positive change.

The Group covers a wide range of areas bearing on environmental responsibility. These include, but are not restricted to:

  • The protection and promotion of natural ecosystems and biodiversity
  • The inclusion of natural ecosystems in urban development and green corridors and spaces
  • City planning for a sustainable future
  • The potential and limits of environmental law
  • Ethical and social issues bearing on environmental protection
  • Valuing Indigenous and non-Indigenous connections to the land
  • Democratic process and political accountability
  • The interactions between health and environment
  • Climate change
  • Environmental protests and social movements
  • Understanding and learning from human environmental engagement, past and present.

We aim to contribute to an informed public understanding of these issues through:

  • Ongoing scholarly research in refereed journals
  • Accessible publications for an informed public
  • Contributions to mainstream and social media
  • Submissions to parliamentary inquiries as appropriate
  • Public lectures and addresses
  • Support of colleagues and students in universities and other educational institutions
  • The development of this website as an accessible source of information.

Find Our Statements here, including our original statement “Urgent Need for Action: the Beeliar Group Speaks Out” and “The Perth Freight Link: Facts and Fiction”.including 10 Myths on Roe 8.