‘Finocchiaro government clearly can’t handle the pressure’: ECNT, ALEC react to funding being axed
The Environment Centre NT and Arid Land Environment Centre have condemned their sudden funding cut as ‘pathetic’, ‘weak’ and the sign of a government ‘scared of scrutiny’.
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Prominent environmental groups in the Northern Territory which have had their funding suddenly axed by the CLP say it is an undemocratic decision by a government “scared of scrutiny”.
Environment Centre NT and Arid Lands Environment Centre only discovered they were losing $100,000 annual of taxpayer funding when the NT News broke the story early on Tuesday.
Fronting media on Tuesday, ECNT executive director Kirsty Howey said the two environment centres had acted as trusted and effective environmental watchdogs and experts for decades, and would continue to fight for the Territory’s unique natural environment.
“We don’t want money from a government hellbent on destruction of communities and our environment,” she said.
“This decision is the sign of a weak and pathetic government running scared from scrutiny and accountability, which is deep in the pockets of fossil fuel billionaires, mining executives and Big Cotton.
“We’ve never been stronger, and we will continue to scrutinise harmful projects, call out corruption, and stand with the Territory community, as we have done for 40 years.
“The Finocchiaro Government clearly can’t handle the pressure.”
Dr Howey said the NT’s environment regulations were “laughably bad”, and “an embarrassment” both nationally and internationally.
ALEC policy officer Alex Vaughan said the CLP’s decision was “deeply disappointing”, but made its advocacy “more important than ever”.
“ALEC will continue to stand strong and care for the arid lands, confronting key threats from gas fracking in the Beetaloo and one of Australia’s largest groundwater licences at Singleton Station, to buffel grass invasion, fires and climate change,” he said.
“This is another demonstration of a government that punches down. ALEC is a grassroots, community-led environment organisation. We are a place-based organisation that supports local people to care for arid lands environments which are foundational to community, health, culture and economy.”
The decision to defund the environment centres comes amid a push by the government to limit what it claims is “weaponised lawfare” being used to stymie important economic projects.
Environment Minister Joshua Burgoyne said Territorians should trust that independent regulators such as the Environment Protection Authority, Development Consent Authority, and the Water Controller did “excellent” work to safeguard the environment.
“The Northern Territory Government has a robust system by which every single environmental approval must be sought,” Mr Burgoyne said.
“I seriously don’t think enough people in the Northern Territory understand the rigorous process that any sort of new project has to go through – by the time it gets to my desk, I am literally looking at kilos of paperwork.
“We want to ensure that there are rigorous processes in place so that we can protect our environment here in the Northern Territory, but we also need to ensure that when a decision is made, when an approval is given, that it is just that – an approval.”
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