Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Anita specialises in environmental and climate change law, regulation and governance. She works on issues of current and pressing public policy importance including: the roles and responsibilities of the private sector in addressing climate change; the implementation of legal frameworks for climate mitigation and adaptation at different jurisdictional scales; disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Australian settlements; and the allocation of scarce natural resources (such as water) between competing users.
Anita brings considerable research, teaching and advocacy experience to her role as Associate Professor in the Monash Business School, having worked as a senior research and teaching fellow at the Melbourne Law School (2016-18) and University of Tasmania (2011-2015); and previously in advocacy roles with Australian environmental NGOs such as World Wide Fund for Nature and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
Anita's research is socio-legal (law-in-context) and interdisciplinary. She uses empirical and qualitative research techniques to track and assess the impact and effectiveness of environmental law and regulation. Her work is often targeted to end-users in policy and practice and has included reports prepared for the Australian Conservation Foundation, ClientEarth and the Victorian Dept. of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Anita's research informs her teaching. She has taught a range of subjects in environmental, climate change and natural resource law and is currently teaching environmental law and sustainability regulation in an inter-disciplinary context at the Monash Business School, with a particular focus on applied and contextual exploration of current and emerging regulatory risks and trends.
Anita is the Director of the Monash Business School Green Lab - Monash Business School’s hub for inter-disciplinary and applied research on climate change and sustainability. Anita is also the Director of Research in the Department of Business Law and Taxation.
Supervision interests
Anita is interested in supervising socio-legal and interdiscplinary legal research projects, particularly in the environmental and sustainability field.
Monash teaching commitment
Anita is currently teaching the following units:
Corporate Sustainability Regulation (BTF5910)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Law, PhD, University of Melbourne
2005 → 2010
Laws, Bachelor, Australian National University (ANU)
1995 → 1999
Arts (Geography), Bachelor, Australian National University (ANU)
1995 → 1999
Research area keywords
- Environment and Sustainability
- Climate change law
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Water Governance
- Socio-Legal Studies
- Empirical Legal Research
- Climate Risk
- Energy Transition
Network
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National Climate Laws and How They Work
Foerster, A., Kallies, A. & Bleby, A.
1/05/20 → 24/07/20
Project: Research
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Reviewing the Corporations Act - Improving the environmental performance of Australian companies
1/05/19 → 28/06/19
Project: Consultancy
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Aligning private climate risk management to Paris climate goals: an Australian perspective
Foerster, A., 2022, In: Utrecht Law Review. 18, 2, p. 107-126 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Climate risk disclosure, compliance, and regulatory drivers: a textual tone analysis
Unda, L. & Foerster, A., 2022, In: Company and Securities Law Journal. 39, 1, p. 47-72 26 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Integrating nutrition and obesity prevention considerations into institutional investment decisions regarding food companies: Australian investment sector perspectives
Robinson, E., Parker, C., Carey, R., Foerster, A., Blake, M. R. & Sacks, G., 2022, In: Globalization and Health. 18, 1, 16 p., 93.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Latest trends in investing for improved nutrition and obesity prevention
Robinson, E., Carey, R., Foerster, A. & Sacks, G., 2022, In: Current Nutrition Reports. 11, p. 39-55 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Other › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus) -
Paris at the subnational scale? An exploration of the role and potential of framework climate laws
Foerster, A., Bleby, A., Kallies, A. & Church, J., 2022, In: Melbourne University Law Review. 45, 3, p. 1045-1092 48 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access
Press/Media
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Are corporate net-zero pledges just more green wash?
Anita Foerster & Michael Spencer
29/03/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Clearer rules on reporting companies' climate risks could soon put us on a path to decarbonising corporate Australia
19/12/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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The Green's climate trigger policy could become law. Experts explain how it could help cut emissions - and why we should be cautious.
Brendan Sydes, Anita Foerster & Laura Shuijers
2/08/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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4 lessons for the Albanese government in making its climate targets law. We can't afford to get this wrong.
Anita Foerster, Anne Kallies & Alice Bleby
25/07/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Australia signed the Paris Agreement. Then what happened?
Emma Peterson, Anna Malos, Megan Argyriou & Anita Foerster
15/09/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature