The Environmental Defenders Office weaponises taxpayer funding to destroy jobs.

Shadow Minister for the Environment, Jonno Duniam, said it is outrageous that Australia is in a situation where taxpayer funding is being used to pursue an anti-jobs agenda.

“The Environmental Defenders Office is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Senator Duniam said.

“It is an organisation that is being paid cold hard taxpayer cash to destroy jobs and unfortunately it can and has to date been successful in doing that across the country.

“They were one of three organisations that caused the review of the EPBC approval in Macquarie Harbour which led to 18 months of agonising uncertainty for Tasmanian salmon workers.

“The Coalition, if elected, will end this by immediately defunding the Environmental Defenders Office.”

The Albanese Labor Government announced $10 million for the Environment Defenders Office in 2022, after they were defunded by the Coalition when we were elected in 2013.

“The Albanese Labor Government’s re-funding of the EDO is evidence of just how badly they are captured by the Greens,” Senator Duniam said.

“On top of this, Labor has thrown a serious cloud over the future of our vital salmon farming, mining and forestry industries by proposing job-destroying changes to the EPBC Act and threatening to close down salmon farming entirely in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s West Coast.

“The truth is, Labor cannot stay in power without support from the Greens. That means more reckless spending and more extreme environmental ideology.

“Tasmanians can’t afford to risk that.

“In contrast, we guarantee that we will never, ever sell-out our salmon, mining or forestry industries and their communities in order to keep mainland Greens happy.”