Title: ‘Good cops, bad cops: contemporary alliances of the Australian environment movement’
This thesis examines the significance of the current popularity of ‘alliances’ formed by the Australian environmental movement (AEM). It is in response to the common view that the post-Rio Conference (1992) period has been difficult for Western environment movements. The concept of ‘alliance building’ has become popular as a means to strengthen the AEM and enter a new phase of environmentalism. But the term ‘alliance’ is used vaguely by leaders and participants in the AEM, and in their contexts carries different meanings.
This thesis uses two theoretical concepts to show that alliances are part of the increasing complexity of environmental politics. These are (1) the divergence of the AEM into ‘radical’ and ‘reformist’ strategic approaches, and (2) changes in environmental governance as the number of stakeholders with an interest in environmental conflicts increases, and their relationships change. These two concepts are evident in the history of the AEM, and are now underscored by the globalisation debates.
The study was based on an extensive literature review, participant observation and interviews. Case studies of contemporary radical (the ‘s11’ alliance that blockaded the World Economic Forum in Melbourne, September 11-13 2000) and reformist (by Australia’s leading national environmental organisation, the Australian Conservation Foundation, with primary producers and business) alliances were conducted. The study showed that contemporary alliances are forming with disparate stakeholders outside the AEM who are also from opposite ends of debates concerning globalisation and governance.
Alliances play an important role in the ongoing development of the politics of the environment by leading paradigm shifts and involving new stakeholders. But they are themselves limited in the change they can achieve individually and at an aggregate level.
This research also showed the usefulness of the discipline of environmental politics, and the historical method, in understanding the significance of developments in environment movements. Also, although the AEM, and similarly environmental politics, are becoming increasingly more complex and encompassing more stakeholders and issues, we tend to judge them by the simple radical-reformist dualism.