Crisafulli breaks promise on environment, rips funding from vital community legal service

Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said

This is a broken promise by Premier David Crisafulli, and it will mean Queenslanders impacted by developments in their area won’t have the same access to legal advice to protect their rights.

We were told before the election that the LNP had learnt the lessons from the Newman Government's destructive approach, but this funding cut is straight out of the Campbell Newman playbook.

Queensland’s precious animals and plants, our forests and beaches are under threat, and with this cut to funding, the Queensland Government has weakened their key defender.

Toondah Harbour

EDO helped community groups including Redlands2030 secure the rejection of a destructive development at internationally-recognised wetland Toondah Harbour.

Redlands2030 President Steve MacDonald said

EDO provides enormously helpful legal advice and support to not-for-profit community and environment groups who oppose irresponsible and environmentally destructive projects.

Redlands2030 turned to EDO for help in advocating against development plans, supported by the local council, which would destroy internationally recognized wetlands next to Toondah Harbour.

For ten years, EDO provided legal advice and services which assisted the community to identify and deal with flaws in the proposed Toondah Harbour development plans.

We as the community were left without any support from the Council or State Government to deal with matters of the public interest.

The only legal advice and support we were getting was from EDO. They gave us the courage and capacity to keep going against the efforts of a well-resourced property developer.

If this project had not been stopped, Australia would have breached its international legal obligations to protect migratory shorebirds such as the eastern curlew and bar-tailed godwit, together with their Ramsar wetlands habitat.

Bob Irwin Senior and CROC Qld

EDO assisted Bob Irwin Sr's organisation Community Representation of Crocodiles Qld (CROC Qld) to secure new laws that outlawed approaching and feeding crocodiles, to protect both the species and human life.

CROC Qld President Amanda French said

The environment and people unequivocally need the EDO.

Queensland's environment belongs to all of us, and we should all feel supported in standing up to help nature thrive. Sadly, not everyone has access to independent environmental legal advice.

The EDO consistently provides tangible, practical support that ensures proper consultation happens at the appropriate level of government, with paramount outreach on country.

Without their assistance, our community concerns would not reach the right people and would remain unheard.

Queensland's natural environment is in better hands with the EDO and the Queensland Government working together.

Hinchinbrook Island

EDO assisted high profile conservationist Kenn Parker to protect the Girramay National Park and Great Barrier Reef from harmful acid sulphate run-off from a failed development.

Conservationist Kenn Parker said

Margaret Thorsborne and I were the first clients of the Environmental Defenders Office in Cairns in 1994, which was the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration.

So much of what we have achieved would have been impossible were it not for the legal expertise provided by EDO.

And many species would be closer to the brink, including the dugongs and flying foxes of Hinchinbrook Island.

For the environment movement, EDO provides indispensable expertise for community groups that would otherwise not be able to afford legal advice or representation.