When the left interferes it's not called imperialism

Rockefeller fund says it has no plans for more grants

CLIVE Palmer's fears about CIA activities in Australia may be allayed after the group he alleged was a CIA front yesterday revealed it had no plans to keep funding green groups in Australia.

Lee Wasserman, director of the Rockefeller Family Fund, told The Australian it had made no decision about any future grants to Australia since giving a small "planning grant" to Greenpeace last year

"We made a planning grant to Greenpeace to explore ways to accelerate the transition toward a clean energy economy," Mr Wasserman said via email from the US. "No grants have been made based on this research nor have any funding decisions been made about work in Australia or any country outside the US."

Mr Palmer this week accused the US-based Rockefeller Family Fund of being a conduit for money from the US government channelled through the CIA.

The mining magnate made his comments after he learned that the fund had provided funds to help Greenpeace prepare a strategy to undermine Australia's coal industry. The CIA has denied Mr Palmer's claim.

Greenpeace senior campaigner John Hepburn said yesterday he had approached the Rockefeller Family Fund last year, asking for $70,000 to pay for research into the environmental damage caused by the coal industry in Australia.

The fund agreed and Mr Hepburn used the money in part to draw up a strategy to undermine the local coal industry. "It is no surprise that we would look for funding from whatever sources we can," Mr Hepburn said yesterday.

Although Greenpeace did not accept money from governments or corporations, it did accept funds from private philanthropic organisations such as the Rockefeller Family Fund.

The fund was set up by five members of the Rockefeller family in 1967. Among other causes, its anti-coal campaign is aimed at helping curb CO2 emissions.

Mr Palmer's CIA claims have been widely criticised. He has since backed away from his claim that the Rockefeller fund was a CIA front, although he maintains that the anti-coal campaign was funded by "foreign interests".

The outspoken billionaire yesterday continued to court controversy, however, when he told an anti-carbon tax rally in Canberra organised by the Consumers and Taxpayers Association that Julia Gillard should no longer be Prime Minister.

"The question for all of us is when will she resign? Will she resign today or will she resign tomorrow?" he told the crowd of mostly elderly and retired people outside Parliament House.

"She should no longer be the leader of the Australian government," said Mr Palmer, who addressed the protest by telephone.

He claimed the tax was being introduced to "change the balance of trade" so the US and Europe "take our prosperity".

Coalition frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull yesterday became the latest politician to denounce Mr Palmer's CIA claims.

"I don't think the CIA is funding the Greens - I really don't," Mr Turnbull said.