Environmental groups are threatening thousands of mining jobs with their “vigilante litigation”, attorney general George Brandis has said, paving the way for a tightening of laws governing environmental protection.

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, has backed the attorney general’s comments, saying that environmental groups have engaged in an “unfair” campaign to scupper Adani’s Carmichael mine in north Queensland.

“We have seen a sustained campaign of harassment through the courts of this proposal,” Abbott told reporters on Monday.

“I’m not for a second saying that people should not be able to exercise their legal right, I’m not for a second criticising the courts, what I am being very critical of is the tactics of some element of the green movement and their apparent ability to play games and to game the system,” he said.

The statements from senior Coalition figures come just days after the federal court overturned the government’s approval of the Carmichael mine, saying the project endangers two threatened species.

“It seems like there’s never any end to this. All reasonable processes must have a reasonable conclusion and that’s the difficulty at the moment,” Abbott said. “We’ve got this particular project most notably but perhaps others as well, that seem to have been subject to a form of legal sabotage.”

Brandis said green groups have been engaging in “lawfare”.

“Ten thousand jobs have been destroyed … by vigilante environmental groups intent on gaming the system,” he said during Senate question time on Monday.

“I come from Queensland and I am conscious of just what a big deal this was. It’s almost like this was the Olympic Dam of Queensland,” Brandis told Sky News on Sunday.



Green groups have disputed the 10,000 figure, with the Australian Conservation Foundation pointing out that Adani’s own experts say fewer than 1,500 jobs will be created.

Brandis on Sunday said that clauses in the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act contain “extremely loose” language that “provides a red carpet for vigilante litigation”.

The act has provisions allowing any Australian citizen or permanent resident who is aggrieved by an environmental decision to take the decision to court.

Brandis has urged that the act be reformed, saying the government “should get rid of” laws that “encourage vigilante litigation”. Abbott also indicated the act would need re-examination.

“This should be a big issue for the parliament, ensuring that investment and jobs go ahead. Ensuring that the rules are fair, but they’re also fairly applied,” he said.

The shadow assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, told Fairfax media that the laws were fine as they are.

“I believe that we’ve got the balance right at the moment and that environmental groups – both when they’re right and when they’re wrong – play an important role in a mature democracy,” he said.



The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, argued that the provisions in the EPBC Act helped level the playing field between big corporations and environmental groups.

“The law is there for a reason,” Di Natale told reporters on Monday. “The attorney general as the chief lawmaker of this land is there to protect it, and shouldn’t regard environmental law as a nuisance or an inconvenience.”

Environmental justice Australia lawyer Arian Wilkinson called on Brandis to “revoke his comments, admit they were an error in judgement and ensure federal ministers remain accountable to the law”.

“Senator Brandis’s comments are another example of the power the mining industry wields over the government,”” Wilkinson said.

“We need to have the highest standards of ministerial accountability to safeguard against corruption.

“The Australian community have every right to access the justice system, this case is a great example of democracy in action. The government’s outrageous response is to back this dying project and seek to remove the laws that protect the environment.”