Mystery $6.5m donor to Environmental Defenders Office won’t be revealed as foreign grants soar

Calls for more transparency have been made after the Environmental Defenders Office continues to receive foreign funding to help block Australian projects.

The blighted Environmental Defenders Office has refused to name the mystery $6.5m donor who handed the organisation a lifeline after it suffered a catastrophic court loss, with the Coalition calling for more transparency on who is funding the group.

The EDO was given a $6.5m interest-free loan to continue operating after it was hit with a $9m loss when the Federal Court ruled against their bid to sink Santos’ north Australian Barossa gas project, with the court finding the EDO’s evidence was “so lacking in integrity that no weight” could be placed on it.

The Coalition has raised concerns over who has funded the stopgap $6.5m loan, saying donations should be transparent and raising concerns over foreign interference in Aussie projects.

It comes as the latest financial records for the charity show overseas grants to the EDO grew by almost $3m in the last year, from $3.7m in the 2023 financial year to $6.1m in the latest financial year.

Coalition environment spokesman Jonno Duniam.

The EDO’s annual financial report released last week states “a material uncertainty exists” over whether the office can continue following the huge court loss.

Coalition spokesman for the environment Jonno Duniam also called on Labor to ensure no taxpayer funding – of which the EDO receives about $2m a year from the federal government – would be used to help dig the EDO out of its financial hole.

“The public deserves to know the full list of donors to the EDO that are enabling it to wreak economic havoc on Australian industry,” Mr Duniam said.

“Furthermore, we don’t know who the mystery $6.5 million donor to the EDO is. This organisation must be disclosed so the public can be assured it’s not a foreign entity with ulterior motives to obstruct Australian resource projects.”

The EDO said in a statement no government funds would be used to cover the costs of the loan and the arrangements of the $6.5m loan remain commercial-in-confidence.

It added the $9m court loss would be covered by “insurance, reserves, and a loan”.

“We accept donations from a wide variety of people and institutions who support the principles of environmental and climate justice and equal access to the law. We do not publicly identify individual donors without their consent,” the EDO said.

Originally published as Mystery $6.5m donor to Environmental Defenders Office won’t be revealed as foreign grants soar