“We will not spend another dollar on activists and economic vandals and their disruptive agendas.”
This is how Joshua Burgoyne, NT Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, announced that his government has axed its $100,000 annual grant for the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC), Central Australia’s peak environmental organisation for over 40 years and with 400 members.
Yet Mr Burgoyne apparently doesn’t hesitate to spend time with the “vandals”: He is said to have a plot in the town’s community garden, one of ALEC’s many projects.
He says in a media statement the money will be directed away from “lawfare” and towards initiatives with “a focus on action, not activism”.
“We campaign, advocate and support local people to take action for the protection of arid lands and people,” states ALEC’s website.
“We are a strong and trusted voice for Australia’s iconic desert country. We stand up and speak out for the protection of land and water, animals and plants, special places and the communities that depend on them.
“We work with partners across vast landscapes to deliver solutions to the ecological challenges we face. We understand the importance of knowledge, science, research, education and engaging the community on the issues that matter.”
It is understood the loss is 20 per cent of the group’s budget. The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) in the Top End is also losing $100,000.
Update 3.30pm
ALEC policy officer Alex Vaughan says in a media release: “This is a deeply disappointing decision, but one which is in keeping with the disturbing, partisan and ruthless politics which is growing in 2025 across the NT, country and the world.
“We will continue to thrive, and today’s decision makes our organisation’s role more important than ever, confronting key threats from gas fracking in the Beetaloo and one of Australia’s largest groundwater licences at Singleton Station to buffel grass invasion, fires and climate change.
“This is another demonstration of a government that punches down.
“ALEC and ECNT have lost our funding today because we are effective and trusted. We are a threat to the CLP’s dangerous agenda to remove scrutiny, cut accountability, turbocharge gas extraction and pander to the orders and directives of big business.
“If you are angry, despondent or sad about today’s announcement, support us financially through ALEC’s Summer Appeal, become an ALEC member or volunteer with us. Collective action to care for and conserve the arid lands is how we respond to the ongoing crises the arid lands face.”
This article appeared on Alice Springs News on 11 February 2025.
