Griffith law staff, students and their supporters pulled on their swimming togs and goggles to fundraise over $3500 to help protect one of Australia’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef.
The Environmental Defenders Office Queensland’s (EDO Qld) Swim for the Reef is an annual fundraiser which saw nearly 270 participants swim across 34 locations for a combined total of more than 8,300 laps or 419 km, raising $55,000.
Griffith law lecturer Dr Chris Butler says that by giving money to support participants of Swim for the Reef, donors were showing practical support and engagement with the vital work of the community legal sector.
Monies raised will be used to support EDO Qld’s law reform, court challenges and awareness work. Last year EDO Qld challenged the controversial and headline grabbing Adani Mine Abbot Point coal terminal expansion in court.
Since the event began in 2016, participants have swum a collective distance of 1,295 km, more than half the distance of the Great Barrier Reef.