Sustainable Development - A Review

This article is a review of the current state of sustainable development law and policy in Australia, more commonly referred to as ecologically sustainable development in domestic legislative regimes. The article explores both domestic and international perspectives and is based on the pretext that any successful transition to a genuinely sustainable society will require not only an understanding of where society needs to go but also an understanding of where it has come from. The article investigates influences that have contributed to the current state of sustainable development and contemplates the impact those same influences may have on any efforts change the direction of the legal and policy regimes. It recognises the role that politics has played and continues to play in sustainable development policy. In particular, it investigates criticisms and critiques of current approaches to sustainable development from commentators and the judiciary.