Environmental Defenders Office Ordered to Pay Santos

The Federal Court has ordered the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to pay Santos over $9 million in legal costs after the EDO's unsuccessful attempt to block the construction of a gas pipeline near the Tiwi Islands. The court ruled that the EDO had engaged in 'subtle coaching' of Indigenous witnesses, which influenced the case against Santos, who plans to build a 262-kilometre pipeline from its Barossa gas field to Darwin. Traditional owners, represented by Simon Munkara, had argued the pipeline threatened their underwater cultural heritage and the journeys of significant ancestral beings. Although the EDO initially won an injunction against the project, the court later lifted it, leading to adverse findings against the EDO. Santos stated that the cost order represents all its legal expenses incurred during the proceedings, and EDO's chief executive acknowledged the decision to resolve the claim was in the best interest of their clients and organization. Environmental advocates have criticized the lawsuit as a potential SLAPP suit aimed at silencing public opposition to corporate projects.