00:00 The Barossa project is back on track after costly delays from a failed legal challenge.
00:07 There's no secret that I don't think the balance is right given that we were delayed for a year or so after we had our project approved.
00:15 While the Federal Court ordered the Tiwi Islands plaintiffs to pay Santos' legal bills,
00:20 CEO Kevin Gallagher says the company will recoup their costs through other avenues.
00:26 That will become evident in time. We're working through those processes.
00:30 The Tiwi elders' lawyers at the Environmental Defender's Office coming under nationwide scrutiny.
00:35 If a coalition government is elected at the next election, we will defund that body because it is a bunch of radical environmentalists.
00:42 I've already spoken to Kate Warden, the Environment Minister, to say we need to have a look at that contract.
00:47 We fund them $100,000 a year.
00:50 It follows a Federal Court ruling that EDO lawyers engaged in a subtle form of coaching of Tiwi witnesses
00:56 around the location of dreaming sites near Santos' Barossa gas pipeline.
01:01 At risk? $8 million in Federal funding for the EDO.
01:05 But the Law Council says defunding the organisation would be a step in the wrong direction.
01:11 I think that would be a very unfortunate retrograde step based on a single instance
01:17 where there may have been some adverse commentary in one particular case.
01:22 About 200,000 Australians access community legal services every year and the EDO is just one of them.
01:29 If we weren't around, they would not be getting legal assistance.
01:33 So in those circumstances, people don't get to enforce their rights.
01:37 They often don't pursue their rights at all.
01:39 They dip out of the process and they are fundamentally disadvantaged.
01:43 In a statement, the EDO said without their services, grandparents, young people,
01:48 charities and community groups would be denied access to the legal system.
01:52 The Federal Government did not say whether it would cut any of the EDO's funding,
01:56 just that it takes the Mancara-Santos judgement seriously.
02:00 For more information, visit www.fema.gov
Comments