In a move raising comparisons to the government of Campbell Newman, Queensland’s Liberal National party government is set to slash all state funding for the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO).
The decision breaches a promise by the LNP to continue funding the body made prior to winning government at the October state election.
The EDO provides free legal advice to residents and community groups considering challenging a development or environmental approval, and receives about $500,000 a year from the state government. Its funding will be cut to zero at June’s state budget.
In an open letter to the premier, 36 of the state’s leading conservationists and environmental groups described themselves as “shocked” by the decision.
They compared it to a similar decision made under premier Campbell Newman to cut $97,000 of EDO funding in 2012, its entire state allocation. The current environment minister, Andrew Powell, was also environment minister under Newman.
The EDO cuts represent one of several broken election promises by David Crisafulli’s government in its first six months in office, including to not build a new stadium for the Olympics and to set clear key performance indicators for his ministers.
The promise to continue EDO funding was made publicly in March last year, at a forum attended by the LNP’s then shadow environment minister Sam O’Connor.
In an email follow-up after the event seen by Guardian Australia, O’Connor also referred to “the commitment I made to continue funding the EDO if the LNP is successful at the election this October”.
“Queenslanders care about their local environment so landholders and communities deserve some form of access to legal advice when potential threats arise to the special places they love,” the email reads.
“We believe the state government should continue to provide funding towards their operations just like they do with other community legal services.”
The Queensland Conservation Council director, Dave Copeman, said: “We were told before the election that the LNP had learned the lessons from the Newman government’s destructive approach, but this funding cut is straight out of the Campbell Newman playbook.”
Copeman said the then opposition leader Crisafulli also made the same commitment to him personally in August 2023.
The EDO’s chief executive officer, David Morris, said the organisation would be able to keep its doors open with charitable donations, but would have to turn many people away.
“Over the past five years, Queensland Government funding has enabled us to provide about 1,500 legal services to people who otherwise could not possibly afford legal advice,” Morris said.
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Without EDO legal advice, many Queenslanders would be denied the opportunity to exercise their legal rights to challenge “mining companies, big irrigators and property developers”, he said.
“Without it, many communities won’t even know their rights, let alone have the chance to exercise them.”
The state resources minister, Dale Last, has previously told parliament: “I have been saying to the gas companies in this state: ‘I’ll sign. You drill.’”
A spokesperson for the state government said it had “honoured Labor’s funding agreement in its entirety which expired at the end of June 2025”.
“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 $9m in costs after a judge criticised EDO lawyers for coaching a witness.”
The federal court ordered the EDO to pay the fee to Santos in November 2024 after ruling against its challenge to a Northern Territory gas pipeline project.
Morris said at the time that the EDO had “diligently adhered to client instructions” but accepted the judgment of the court.
