Arabic version: مطالبة محتجين على ملعب غولف بدفع 150 ألف دولار كرسوم قانونية

According to ABC News, protesters who unsuccessfully sought to stop the North Adelaide Golf Course redevelopment have been asked by the South Australian government to pay $150,000 towards its legal costs.

Earlier in October, the Federal Court rejected a case brought by public servant Edwin Kemp Attrill and Kaurna Arabana woman Janette Milera. They had argued that the state government’s felling of nearly 600 trees breached federal conservation laws.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the government’s legal bills were estimated at between $450,000 and $550,000. He said the proposed $150,000 payment was intended to balance competing interests and was not meant to be punitive. If the offer is rejected, he said the government would reserve its rights to seek potentially recoverable costs.

The pair’s lawyer, Ted Hui, said the proposal would have a huge financial impact on his clients and could discourage people from exercising legal rights to protect the environment. He said they would review the offer and case precedents while preparing legal arguments.