Taxpayers funding third-party politics

TAXPAYERS have provided more than $10 million in funding over the past five years to politically active green groups.

TAXPAYERS have provided more than $10 million in funding over the past five years to politically active green groups, who have campaigned in favour of a carbon price and against the coal industry and infrastructure projects.

The Wilderness Society, the Friends of the Earth, the Australian Conservation Foundation, Environment Victoria, the Total Environment Centre and the Environmental Defenders offices have all received funding that has derived variously from state and federal schemes. The conservation councils in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland have also received annual funding from governments.

These groups have all been active in public debates about environmental issues and, in particular, have strongly supported placing a price on carbon.

Investigations by The Weekend Australian and the free-market think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs, have identified a range of grants paid to cover specific environmental programs and to cover ongoing administrative costs. The revelations have prompted a call from the IPA for a full review of environmental grants to guard against waste and political misuse of taxpayers' funds.

The ACF has been one of the largest recipients with $2.9m over the past five years, while Environment Victoria has topped $4m. Environmental Defenders offices in various states have received at least $1.2m. The Wilderness Society ($125,000) and Friends of the Earth ($65,000) have won smaller grants.

IPA director John Roskam said taxpayers were now funding third-party political activity.

"Many environmental groups are now running what are basically political campaigns financed by state and federal government departments," Mr Roskam said.

The funded groups have supported community activism such as the "walks against warming" and offer advice to people on how to mount legal challenges against development. Some constantly campaign against industries, in particular the coal mining and coal generation industries. Others have actively and successfully opposed developments such as dams that were proposed in NSW's Hunter Valley and Traveston Crossing in Queensland.

Some of the groups engage in overtly party-political campaigning, with the Total Environment Centre vocal during the current NSW election campaign, last month branding the opposition's policies as an "environmental and planning disaster". The centre's executive director, Jeff Angel, issued a media release saying the Coalition's plans for Sydney's urban sprawl would "worsen global warming on multiple fronts". The centre has received $450,000 from the NSW government.

Many of the grants under Canberra's GVEHO (Grants to Voluntary Environment and Heritage Organisations) provide annual funding for administrative staff and expenses.

But other grants support initiatives such as public education campaigns on energy and water conservation.

While government funding is not to be used in political campaigns, it clearly supports the organisations as a whole, allowing them to campaign on environmental issues.

"Those campaigns are typically in favour of radical green and leftwing policy agendas," Mr Roskam said. "When it comes to funding, there's not much political balance -- it's all one way." Spokespeople for most of the groups stressed the point that public funding was quarantined from campaigning.

Spokesman for Friends of the Earth, Cam Walker, said it was vital that taxpayers funded "third voices" to hold governments and corporations to account.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said the funding practices were longstanding and supported community environment organisations.

His predecessor, Peter Garrett, initiated a review into the funding program last year and it is due to be completed soon.

"I have my own views about the directions in which this program should go," Mr Burke said, "and I will be making my decision shortly".

Victorian Environment Minister Ryan Smith said all future grant applications would be addressed "on their merits".

South Australian Environment Minister Paul Caica said the government supported the environment groups because of "the work they do in the community".

The IPA is expected to release its report next week.