“The Queensland government has displayed strong leadership in cutting the funding to the radical and discredited Environmental Defenders Office, a move that must now be followed by all state and federal governments,” said Saxon Davidson, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs.
Today, it was announced that the Crisafulli government is cutting all annual funding to the Environmental Defenders Office from 1 July 2025. This follows a similar decision taken by the Northern Territory government.
“The IPA has been calling for the defunding of the EDO by all governments since federal funding was reinstated after the 2022 federal election. This decision shows the Crisafulli government clearly understands how vital the resources sector is to Queensland,” said Mr Davidson.
“The EDO is nothing more than an activist law firm that engages in environmental lawfare, using special legal privileges, such as section 487 of the EPBC Act, to delay and destroy nation building and job creating projects.”
“There is no place for radical activist groups from inner-city Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra to challenge resource projects throughout regional Australia – projects that regional communities depend on for their future,” said Mr Davidson.
The Queensland government’s decision follows the finding in Federal Court last year that the EDO distorted evidence in their matter to have the Barossa Gas Project cancelled.
Justice Natalie Charlesworth savaged the EDO stating its evidence was “so lacking in integrity that no weight can be placed on them”, and that the EDO was “distorting and misrepresenting what the Indigenous informant had said”.
“It is completely unacceptable that Australians are forced to pay for radical, activist green groups, like the Environmental Defenders Office, whose sole purpose is to put them out of work,” said Mr Davidson.
“Environmental lawfare puts jobs, investment, and Australia’s economic reputation at risk. We need our leaders to commit to growing our economy and prioritising it over green activism. The Crisafulli and Finocchiaro governments have shown the way to begin that process.”
“Given Australia is in the middle of an unprecedented per capita recession, economic productivity is low, and private investment in the economy is stagnating, we cannot afford to tolerate the economic vandalism that is inflicted through environmental lawfare any longer,” said Mr Davidson.
To download the IPA’s research on environmental lawfare click here.
