A group of Australians has formally accused their government of violating their human rights by continuing to export coal and gas, filing a legal claim with the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The claim is the first to be brought before an international body since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2025 that countries can be held legally accountable for climate change.
According to the BBC, the group says their lives have been harmed by extreme weather in Australia — bushfires, floods, heatwaves, rising sea levels, and toxic algal blooms — and that the government's support of fossil fuel companies is to blame. Australia is one of the world's largest coal and gas exporters. Any decision by the UN is not legally binding, but Australia would be expected to respond.
Claimants and Their Stories
The group comprises ten members. Among them:
Dr Barry Traill, a wildlife ecologist and volunteer firefighter, said that the 2019–2020 bushfires "deeply changed" him. "It became clear that the old rules around fires and survival no longer applied," he told the BBC. "It is already killing people and hurting lives, landscapes and communities across Australia." He added, "Continuing to allow coal and gas companies to increase pollution, while people face worsening disasters, is a profound failure of responsibility."
Brendon Donohue, who is blind and has mobility challenges, described being trapped in his apartment for 10 days during the 2022 Brisbane floods. "Because I live with blindness and mobility challenges, climate impacts affect me differently and can make everyday life much harder to navigate safely," he said.
Prof Anne Poelina, an Indigenous woman from the Kimberley region in Western Australia, was displaced by catastrophic flooding near the Fitzroy River. "When the river is healthy, our people are healthy," she said. "What concerns me most is the intergenerational loss of cultural knowledge," as knowledge is passed on by being physically present on the land.
Legal Basis and Ask
The claim asks the UN Human Rights Committee to declare that Australia's continued approval and subsidisation of coal and gas for export, without a plan to protect people from dangerous climate change, is unlawful. Hannah White, senior lawyer with Environmental Justice Australia, stated: "They are asking the United Nations Human Rights Committee to declare that it's unlawful for Australia to continue approving and subsidising coal and gas for export without a plan to protect people from dangerous climate change."
One of the lawyers noted that "climate harm caused by Australia's coal and gas doesn't stop at a border, and neither does Australia's responsibility for it."
Context: ICJ Climate Ruling
Last July (2025), the International Court of Justice — considered the world's highest court with global jurisdiction — ruled that countries can sue each other for climate change, including over historic emissions of planet-warming gases. This ruling opened the door for the current UN claim.
Government Response
The BBC has contacted Environment Minister Murray Watt for comment, but no response has been reported in the source.
| Claimant | Background | Harm Cited |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Barry Traill | Wildlife ecologist, volunteer firefighter | 2019–2020 bushfires |
| Brendon Donohue | Blind, mobility challenges | 2022 Brisbane floods (trapped 10 days) |
| Prof Anne Poelina | Indigenous elder, Kimberley region | Catastrophic flooding, displacement from Fitzroy River |
This case underscores the growing use of international human rights mechanisms to challenge fossil fuel export policies. For importers and exporters of coal and gas, the outcome – while non-binding – could signal tighter regulatory scrutiny in Australia and abroad, as trade partners observe how the government responds to such claims.
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