‘Deeply concerned’: Gutted legal service could be crocodile conservation’s biggest threat

Community leaders have accused the state government of breaking a key pre-election promise and threatening the future of Far North crocodile conservation.

Environmental Defenders Office managing lawyer Kirstiana Ward said that Far North Queensland crocodile conservation will be devastated by the LNP decision to gut their service. Picture: Brendan Radke

Far North community leaders have accused the state government of purposefully dodging environmental regulation and jeopardising the future of crocodile conservation by gutting a critical legal service.

The state government is set to completely defund the Environmental Defenders Office, which has provided free legal advice to communities challenging environmental disputes or proposals in Queensland since 1989.

The non-profit has previously received $500,000 a year from the Queensland state government to fund a small group of legal professionals in Cairns and Brisbane.

This funding will be cut to a staggering zero in June’s state budget.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli. Picture: Evan Morgan

The decision breaks a crucial pre-election promise from former LNP environment minister Sam O’Connor, who pledged that funding would continue.

“You can share the commitment I made to continue funding the EDO if (the Crisafulli government) is successful at the election,” Mr O’Connor said in an email to EDO representatives in March 2024.

Email correspondence from former LNP environment minister Sam O'Connor.

Community Representations of Crocodiles co-founder Amanda French first reached out to the EDO after the 2023 shooting of a crocodile which attacked a man and ate his dog in Cooktown. 

“Following that incident we saw the Queensland government enact some of our recommendations for law reform to reduce the number of crocodiles killed at the hands of wildlife authorities – things like increased penalties for intentionally feeding crocodiles and proximity offences,” Ms French said.

“As a small volunteer organisation we wouldn’t have even had a seat at the table without the EDO, let alone change the legislation.

“They were a fantastic middle ground between the community and the government.

“When these things come up, and they do arise all the time – every other month there seems to be another call to cull crocodiles, it just means that groups like ours will have to revert back to operating in silos.”

Community Representation of Crocodiles co-founder Amanda French (right) with Bob Irwin, father of legendary Australian crocodile conservationist Steve Irwin in 2016. Picture: AAP/Dan Himbrechts

At $500,000 a year EDO funding amounted to just 0.006 per cent of Queensland’s 2024-25 state budget.

“It’s not a lot of money for multiple legal services across the state, so I don’t believe it’s a budgetary concern,” Ms French said.

“What we can put it down to is that the LNP doesn’t want to be held accountable in some way.

“Personally it seems like they don’t want to engage, they don’t want the checks and balances when they’re making detrimental decisions for the environment.

“There’s certainly a lot of other huge environmental concerns that I feel will now go unheard because of this loss of funding, it’ll go back to feeling like David versus Goliath.”

Cairns EDO managing lawyer Kirstiana Ward warned this broken promise could see the Far North office close indefinitely.

“There’s no one else who does the work we do, we’re the only environmental community legal service in Queensland,” Ms Ward said.

“In the last few years we’ve done over 150 services for vulnerable Queenslanders and helped them to participate in the legal process.”

Cairns Environmental Defenders Office managing lawyer Kirstiana Ward. Picture: Brendan Radke

EDO Cairns was instrumental in axing the controversial Kur-World resort development in Kuranda.

“It’s deeply concerning to not have a check and balance system in place to make sure that there is legal representation for the environment,” Ms Ward said.

“Who else is going to do it? Who do the people from CROC, or the people pushing back against Kur-World go to if we’re not here and able to bridge that gap to the government?

“Crisafulli said he wasn’t going to go back to the (Campbell) Newman era.

“But one of the very first things they did was break their election promise to defund the EDO, which is what Campbell Newman did as well.

“Once Newman pulled the funding in 2012 the Cairns EDO office had to shut for three years, because we did not have the money to do anything.”

Cairns Environmental Defenders Office managing lawyer Kirstiana Ward. Picture: Brendan Radke

Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell said in future the EDO would have to “convince” the government whether it should be funded.

“We honoured Labor’s funding agreement in its entirety which expired at the end of June 2025,” Mr Powell said.

“There is no additional money budgeted beyond that period of time.

“As part of future assessments for programs, the EDO would have to convince the government that proper processes had been put in place to qualify for further funding, after being ordered to pay $9 million in costs after a judge criticised EDO lawyers for coaching a witness.”

The EDO was hit with the $9 million bill in 2024 while representing traditional owners of the Tiwi Islands, who were trying to prevent fossil fuel giant Santos from building a new gas pipeline.

Ms Ward said the EDO’s last hope for continuation came from donors.

“We’re really hopeful, because people really care about the environment and they’re outraged,” Ms Ward said.

“We had a lovely donor who’s offered to match up to $150,000 in donations.

“It’s hard economic times, but people are still digging in because we’ve helped so many people and so many people still care.”

Originally published as ‘Deeply concerned’: Gutted legal service could be crocodile conservation’s biggest threat