There's a new climate war looming around the Liberal party

The conservatives for climate change movement appears to be eroding in NSW.

The conservatives for climate change movement appears to be eroding in NSW.

Turmoil has engulfed the Liberal-aligned environmental conservation charity Coalition for Conservation (C4C), after four board members quit the group over an alleged lack of transparency.

Two members of the C4C board have now moved to establish a competing organisation, The Australian Conservation Alliance, that will also act as a charity for the moderates for climate action movement.

The chaos at C4C, which boasts NSW Treasurer Matt Kean and former premier Nick Greiner as ambassadors, comes after a member took aim at the internal operations of the organisation in a letter circulated to all board members in March 2022. 

Coalition for Conservation chairperson Cristina Talacko with NSW Treasurer and C4C Ambassador Matt Kean at a C4C event. Source: C4C's Facebook

Former C4C director Dianne Rule told The Oz she had concerns about financial transparency at the charitable group.

“That made me think it was time to resign.”

Rule said she was concerned about the source of funding about a trip by C4C board members to the Glasgow 2021 United Nations Climate Change conference.

According to Rule, the organisation could never provide “clear answers” to its board members where the funding of the trip came from.

“I asked quite a few times how we would be funding the COP 26 trip and what the budget that we had set aside for that was and I could never get a clear answer.” 

“I was then asked by a potential attendee and I couldn’t answer with any certainty, I’m not saying the money was suspicious but even I couldn't get (from the organisation) direct answer about it.”  

“I belong to other organisations that managed to keep us (board members) abreast, that is with funding and donations,” Rule added.

C4C in response said minutes were recorded at all board meetings, including the “referenced meeting” where the query and the response was noted, “All financial transactions are considered and approved by the Board at Board meetings," C4C chairperson Cristina Talacko said.

The letter queried whether C4C had received donations from climate activist Simon Holmes a Court and Climate 200.

It noted how C4C was a charity that was seeking to work with centre-right political leaders and that an “assurance” of distance from organisations such as Climate 200, who helped fund independent candidates against Coalition MP’s in the 2022 Federal Election, will be “necessary in gaining trust and maximising the organisation’s influence on policy outcome”.

C4C and Climate 200 both confirmed to The Oz no funds flowed between the two groups after the letter also raised concerns about the organisation's accessibility to its confidential donations register.

Former federal MP’s Trent Zimmerman and Dave Sharma, who were toppled by Holmes a Court-backed candidates, have made appearances at C4C events and webinars. Including former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull  and international politicians, former conservative British Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May. 

NSW Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes, former British PM David Cameron, North Shore MP Felicity Wilson and C4C Chairperson Cristina Talacko wearing C4C jumpers at an event. Source: C4C's Facebook

Talacko told The Oz its charitable register was accessible to board members and “as per the approved board process” allowed directors to comply with their obligations.

The same letter alleged board minutes were not kept up to date in a shared drive and that some did not have access to the information.

The charity said it maintained a record of all meetings and that board minutes are available to “all board members at any time upon request.”

C4C’s constitution states that board members may inspect minutes of board meetings records, books, relevant documents  or securities of the association.

In response to the former board member’s concerns about an alleged lack of transparency, Talacko said: “All expenditure is listed in a pre approved budget….every member receives the Treasurer’s report, which includes Balance Sheet, P&L, all transactions and full bank statements, in advance of the Board meetings. This system provides full transparency to Board members.”

Since leaving, former C4C board members Riley Taylor and Tiffany O'Keefe have started a new organisation with similar objectives to C4C called Australian Conservation Alliance (ACA). 

Taylor quit C4C due to disagreements with the charity’s management.

Ex-C4C board members Tiffany O'Keefe and Riley Taylor have started Australian Conservation Alliance.

Taylor said the new organisation “aligns very closely with their (C4C) objectives of advocating for market based solutions to environmental problems, the work (C4C) accomplished was great, we just disagreed with the management style and governance.” 

“We thought it was better to go our separate ways,” he said. 

O'Keefe said the new organisation will want to “make it clear that we are here on a voluntary basis to pursue the objectives and the goals, and all fundraising will be going towards those objectives.”

“We’ll be completely transparent about our funds, 

“Something we’ll pride ourselves on.” she said.