Anti-Adani protesters 'frantically' flee from police

AN ATTEMPT to stop works along Adani's rail corridor has been labelled nothing more than a propaganda stunt by police.

Front Line Action on Coal (FLAC) posted images of an Anti-Adani protest, captioned in part: Twenty people are blocking the access to the site of Adani's railway construction this morning, including three people, Kaiya, Bec and Ellie, who have locked on to the gates to stop work.

POLICE have labelled an anti-Adani protest group's attempt to stop works along the rail corridor as nothing more than a propaganda stunt.

Frontline Action on Coal (FLAC) reported 20 protesters from "around Australia" descended on the station, where human faeces was discovered in a fuel tank two weeks ago.

The Townsville Bulletin reportspolice were called to Disney Cattle Station, south of Belyando Crossing, yesterday after workers reported seeing protesters on site about 5.45am.

A post to FLAC's Facebook page quoted one protester, Kaiya (no last name provided) as saying:

Anti-Adani protesters block rail site

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"Adani poses a very significant problem to the future health of Australians, our groundwater, our air quality, our climate, and our relationship with the global community," the post read.

"It is unfathomable why our government would want to put 1 billion dollars towards funding the destruction of both us and other species."

The protesters packed up and left before police arrived later in the morning.

Inspector Steve O'Connell of Mackay police district said on-site security had informed him that the protesters had been running around frantically before police arrived.

"About 10 minutes before police got here, they were packing up their stuff, frantically running around, packing up their banners and chairs and jumped in their cars and headed towards Charters Towers," he said.

"We think there was a van that was a lookout. There was no one there when police arrived."

Insp O'Connell said that, while the FLAC Facebook page boasted about 20 protesters, security said there were 12.

FLAC updated their social media post reporting "all the protectors are home, with no one arrested".

In June, Rockhampton business Austrak was awarded the $82 million contract to provide concrete sleepers for the rail line.

At the time of the announcement, the Parkhurst business' general manager Murray Adams they would up the company's employees from about 30 to at least 80 people for 16-18 months.

In addition to the growth of 50 positions, the local company expects there would be around 30 downstream jobs in companies supplying materials and logistics.

ReadThe Townsville Bulletin report here.

Originally published as Anti-Adani protesters 'frantically' flee from police