Funding Review Ordered for Environmental Activist Group After Criticism from Judge

The Environmental Defenders Office may lose federal funding after a judge found it had coached Indigenous witnesses.
Funding Review Ordered for Environmental Activist Group After Criticism from Judge
Minister for Environment Tanya Plibersek and government members and senators arrive at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 30, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Rex Widerstrom
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Federal funding for the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is under review following adverse findings by a judge, who said it was clear the group had coached Indigenous witnesses and confected evidence. The organisation is budgeted to receive $8.2 million (US$5.4 million) over four years.

The Office—a community law centre funded by grants and occasionally fees charged to the people it represents—describes itself as “the largest environmental legal centre in the Australia-Pacific ... running groundbreaking litigation and leading law reform advocacy.”

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.
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