Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

() (): Aboriginal communities should have a voice. The question is, in addition to their own, whose voice? There is a need to protect Aboriginal communities from unethical, litigious environmentalists who don't care about their welfare and who instead exploit Aboriginals. I refer to individuals like Mick O'Leary and his involvement in the Environmental Defenders Office against the Santos Prosser project. The Federal Court not only found that Santos's pipeline would not cause harm to local traditional owners but also found Mr O'Leary had lied to Tiwi Islanders about his cultural mapping exercise that was used to claim the project would harm Tiwi Islands culture. This is not the first time the Environmental Defenders Office have manufactured cultural heritage to hold up vital developments. In this case, the Federal Court found them out, and Minister Plibersek has written to that Environmental Defenders Office reminding them of their ethical obligations. What needs to happen is for the government to cut off taxpayer funding for the Environmental Defenders Office. (Time expired)