Taxpayers should not fund environmental groups which destroy public property, Senator Barnaby Joyce said today.

ACT Police today has summoned two Sydney women to the ACT Magistrates Court to face charges relating to the destruction of a CSIRO GM research wheat crop last month.*

The charges come after the police executed a search warrant on Greenpeace headquarters in Sydney, during which police seized evidence.

Greenpeace currently benefits from a government ruling that donations to it are tax deductible under the Register of Environmental Organisations program.**

"I find it a bit of a paradox that an organisation can get a tax deduction, in the same way that St Vincent de Paul or the Red Cross does, when it has been implicated in charges relating to the destruction of taxpayer property.

"Taxpayers should not fund the destruction of taxpayer's property. If Greenpeace is found to be implicated in the destruction of scientific research, then they should no longer receive the benefit of a tax deduction from the Australian people.

“Greenpeace has actively promoted and endorsed the destruction of public property:

We had no choice but to take action to bring an end to this experiment,” said Greenpeace Food campaigner Laura Kelly. “GM has never been proven safe to eat and once released in open experiments, it will contaminate. This is about the protection of our health, the protection of our environment and the protection of our daily bread.”***

"Sometimes they like the science, sometimes they don't.
"I think it is very important to understand that the rule of law be maintained in regards to the respect of public property if you want to maintain a civilised society.

"The endorsement of destruction leads to anarchy."

* http://www.police.act.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/act/2011/august/Two%20women%20to%20be%20summonsed%20in%20CSIRO%20investigation.aspx
** http://www.environment.gov.au/about/tax/reo/index.html
***http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/news/food/A-mum-takes-action-against-GM-wheat/