Shane Broad (left)
The Bob Brown Foundation has been accused of being a “green Ponzi scheme” where donations fund protestors to raise money for more protests. Speaking in State Parliament Shadow Minister for Resources Shane Broad said that “absolutely I am no friend of the Bob Brown Foundation”. Source: Timberbiz
“The Bob Brown Foundation are a protest group,” he said. “They are not a members-based organisation.”
Dr Broad said that based on the foundation’s income statement the foundation’s membership subscriptions raised $9555.
“This was down on the last financial year and down 40% from the year before,” he said.
“They are not a member-based organisation. If they were their subscriptions would be a lot higher.
“Their major income came from fundraising; they are a fundraising organisation.”
He said more than $1m came in through donations.
He said $200,000 had been spent on consultants and professional fees, $760,000 had been spent on employee costs and $116,000 had been spent on travel.
“When we say these protestors are jobless and should get a job, that’s not true.
“They have a job. The Bob Brown Foundation is employing them to fundraise to get more money so they can protest,” Dr Broad said.
“What this actually is, I would argue, is a green Ponzi scheme.
The foundation was obtaining donations to undertake more protests to raise more money to do more protests.
But Dr Broad said the foundation was putting its own people in danger.
“Time and time again we see these dangerous stunts, especially for social media, standing on loose log piles, locking onto moving machinery.”
