Earth Economics Week 2025

Please join the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA), New Economy Network Australia (NENA) and Future Dreaming for 'Earth Economics Week' 2025! 

The current globalised economic system - driven by extractivism, expansion and material growth - is destroying the living world. Over the past 50 years, a range of important alternative economic systems have been proposed to replace 'neo-classical' or 'growth' economics - including Steady State, Doughnut, Wellbeing and Degrowth Economics. But what difference have they made? Are our economic systems changing? What approaches are working? Join us for a week of important discussions about our economic systems, the alternatives that are possible and what we can do to shift away from the extractivism that is destroying the living world.

** PLEASE NOTE - all times below are in AEST or Australian Eastern STANDARD Time (Brisbane/Qld time) Please convert to your own timezone **

Tickets are FREE, but bookings are essential. 
ONE TICKET gives you access to ALL 'Earth Economics Week' webinars

WEBINAR SCHEDULE (SO FAR - ADDITIONAL WEBINARS WILL BE ADDED THIS WEEK)

• Monday 3 March - 6.00pm AEST
  "Ethics and the economy" with Professor Helen Kopnina, Northumbria University (UK) - Inaugural Haydn Washington Memorial Public Lecture
  Join us for AELA's Inaugural 'Haydn Washington Lecture', honoring our dear friend and colleague, Haydn, who passed away in December 2023. To find out about the legacy of Haydn's ecological economics and earth ethics work please visit this website. Professor Kopnina is an internationally recognised researcher and writer, and collaborated with Haydn for many years. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion about the role of ethics within our economic systems.
  
  
• Tuesday 4 March - 6pm AEST
  'Indigenous perspectives about the economic system we need' - speaker details available soon
  
  
• Wednesday 5 March - 12pm to 1.30pm AEST
   'Are Steady State Economics still relevant?' with Matthew Washington, Phil Jones and Robert Perey, Centre for a Steady State Economy (CASSE) NSW - facilitated by Michelle Maloney.

• Thursday 6 March - 6.30pm to 7.30pm AEST
  'Can a Wellbeing Economy Save the Planet?', with Katherine Trebeck, Co-founder of Wellbeing Economy Alliance International
  
  
• Friday 7 March - 12pm to 1.30pm AEST
  "What could a degrowth and decolonised economy look like?" with Mary Graham, Michelle Maloney and other speakers to be confirmed
  
  
  

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

MONDAY 3 MARCH @ 6pm
PROFESSOR HELEN KOPNINA

Dr. Helen Kopnina (Ph.D., University of Cambridge, 2002) is employed at Northumbria University and leading the Sustainable Business program, integrating world-leading research with impactful teaching. Her research focuses on environmental education and links biodiversity to business. With over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 17 (co)authored or (co)edited books with international collaborators, she challenges traditional boundaries through an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to academic discourse, education, and corporate sustainability strategies. Her work, published in top-tier journals across education sciences natural sciences and business/management, has gained a growing influence, as shown by her current Scopus H-index of 51. Her research has influenced curricula and pedagogical strategies across institutions. Many of her highly cited publications focus on critiques and ways forward from Education for Sustainable Development Goals. Her research on environmental education, particularly in ecopedagogy and ecoliteracy, plays a very significant role in shaping her teaching and empowering graduates to work in highly skilled professions through transformative and inclusive experiential learning. She participates in scientific committees including the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) of The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Her wide networks and editorial work reflect her global impact on shaping sustainability education and research.

WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH @ 12NOON 
MATTHEW WASHINGTON

Matthew K Washington has a MA hons from Sydney University in Philosophy and a Masters of Taxation from the University of NSW. My interests in Philosophy are in the area of Social Philosophy, Epistemology and the Philosophy of Science. I worked in the Australian Taxation office from 1987 as a team leader and Technical adviser. I was engaged for 14 years doing Transfer Pricing and analysing the commercial dealings of Large multinational companies. I had exposure to tax issues in international tax law, forensic accounting, and developing Advance Pricing Arrangements between corporations and the ATO. I have an understanding of what law and administrative structures can achieve, while enforcing the aims of legislation for the good of the commonwealth. I am now retired. I am the treasure of CASSE NSW Inc.

PHIL JONES

Phil Jones has worked for decades as a high school Science teacher, and introduced economic subjects into his high school curricular, to raise understanding and awareness about economics. He is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy NSW and a regular speaker at NENA events and conferences.

ROBERT PEREY

Dr Robert Perey is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney and a Co-Director of CASSE. His work is transdisciplinary focusing on organisational and societal change and the transformations needed to move to a post-growth economy.

THURSDAY 6 MARCH @ 6.30PM
DR KATHERINE TREBECK

Katherine is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (International) and also WEAll Scotland, its Scottish hub. She sits on a range of boards and advisory groups such as The Democracy Collaborative, the C40 Centre for Urban Climate Policy and Economy, and the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity. She has published numerous books and articles, most recently as co-author of The wellbeing economy in brief: Understanding the growing agenda and its complications, Centre for Policy Development, February 2024. Further details about Katherine's writing and work can be found on her website - https://katherinetrebeck.com/

WEBINAR HOST - DR MICHELLE MALONEY

Dr Michelle Maloney (BA/LLB Hons ANU, PhD Griffith University) is the Co-founder and Director of AELA and the New Economy Network Australia (NENA), and a Director of Future Dreaming. Michelle began her career as an environmental lawyer, then broadened her work to include multi-disciplinary approaches to creating ecocentric systems change. Today her work focuses on reimagining law and economics, creating bioregional stewardship and governance, empowering communities, bridging different cultural approaches to ecological care, Earth-centred ethics and the arts. Michelle’s initiatives, publications and public talks can be accessed on her website: www.michellemaloney.au

ABOUT AUSTRALIAN EARTH LAWS ALLIANCE (AELA)

AELA is a not-for-profit organisation working to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth-centred (ecocentric) governance, with a focus on systems change across law, economics, education, ethics and community participation in Australia. AELA's vision is an Australian society that embraces an ecocentric or ‘life-centred’ culture, with governance systems that enable human communities to thrive within ecological boundaries, while nurturing biodiversity and ecosystem health. AELA's work includes education programs and project support for people, communities and organisations working to create ecocentric systems change.

For more information, visit our website: www.earthlaws.org.au
or Email: aela@earthlaws.org.au

ABOUT NEW ECONOMY NETWORK AUSTRALIA (NENA)

NENA is a network of organisations and individuals working to create an ecologically healthy and socially just society by transforming Australia’s economic system. NENA works by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, peer to peer support, cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration.
Visit our website: www.neweconomy.org.au or Email us: nena@neweconomy.org.au

ABOUT FUTURE DREAMING

Future Dreaming Australia is an Indigenous and non-indigenous partnerships organisation, working to share cross-cultural ecological knowledge to build a better future for all. 
Future Dreaming runs decolonisation, cross-cultural and Indigenous governance training and education workshops and supports landholders working to create ecological stewardship projects. Visit our website: www.futuredreaming.org.au for more information