Blockade Australia protesters disrupt Newcastle port for climate action

Climate activists who blocked off NSW coal terminals this week led to stopped trains needlessly burning through an extra 110,000 litres of diesel, a rail spokesman says.

Blockade Australia climate activists have caused more than 30 hours of disruptions on trains this week — and their climate action protests resulted in trains burning through thousands of unnecessary litres of diesel, a rail spokesman says.

Southern Shorthaul Railroad’s Jason Ferguson said trains had burned about 3500 litres of diesel each hour while sitting stationary because of the climate activists.

“With the stoppages this morning, people were stuck on the XPT from Casino for seven hours at Maitland. No commuters could travel between Maitland and Newcastle,” he said on Thursday afternoon.

“People could not get to work, people would have missed medical specialist appointments.

“People stuck on trains last night would have missed watching the whole State of Origin game.

Jason Ferguson, of Southern Shorthaul Railroad, has slammed protesters who have wreaked havoc on rail lines in NSW this week. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“A total so far this week of 31.25 hours of blockages. The trains stopped in that area need to still have their diesel engines operating to provide air for braking and safety purposes. In total, all of those trains every hour burn around 3500 litres of diesel fuel.

“So far the protesters’ actions have resulted in almost 110,000 litres of additional diesel being burnt over 2½ days — the irony of this fact.”

Joanne Wilmot, from Adelaide Hills, was charged after allegedly causing disruptions at the rail corridor near Singleton. Picture: Blockade Australia

Mr Ferguson labelled the activists “domestic terrorists” and said taxpayers were their victims.

“It is not a victimless crime, these protests over the last few years have cost the community over $500m in tax dollars from the companies impacted by these actions, money that could go to hospitals, the NDIS, nurses and paramedic pay rises,” he said.

“The protests are stopping grain getting to Third World countries to make food, they are stopping cotton from being exported that is also used to make clothing for Third World countries.

“These people are domestic terrorists, they are a well-organised criminal group that uses technology such as phones and various forms of social media to communicate with each other and enact their plans.

“They work out of a base, they are not a group of hippies who have travelled down from Nimbin for the week.

“In previous protests, some of the people who have glued themselves to the Hunter River Bridge have thrown the glue containers into the river — so much for being concerned about the environment.”

Blockade protesters on the Kooragang Rail Bridge over the Hunter River this week. Picture: Blockade Australia

A Blockade Australia climate activist has blocked off one of the largest coal export terminals in the world on Thursday morning. 

Buses have now replaced trains between Newcastle and Maitland due to the disruption in Hexham. 

A male protester by the name of Sam from the environmental activist organisation was suspended off a bipod above the train line at the Ironbark Creek Bridge near the Port of Newcastle on Thursday morning. 

#HunterLine Trains are not running in both directions due to people causing a disturbance at Tarro and Hexham. Police are attending.

Very limited bus service in both directions between Maitland & Newcastle Interchange.

Please avoid all non-essential travel where possible. pic.twitter.com/MSH2hMePCI

— NSW TrainLink North (@TrainLinkNorth) June 26, 2024

“I’m sitting up here, f***ing with the world’s largest coal port … I’m talking about climate change, that’s why I’m here,” he said.

“It’s because the Australian state doesn’t listen to us, whether it be climate change, whether it be the genocide occurring right now in Palestine, whether it be the absurd cost of living and price gouging in our supermarkets.

Sam, 21, blocked the port of Newcastle on Thursday morning. Picture: Blockade Australia

“They don’t listen to us, or partitions, or our communities.” 

The activist broadcast the protest via Facebook livestream from around 4am on Thursday while he hung from the structure.

He held a banner reading “collective resistance = collective existence.”

NSW Police officers arrested the 21-year-old just before 7am.

This incident marks the sixth action from Blockade Australia to block the Newcastle Coal Port in three days. 

“TWO DAYS, FIVE ACTIONS // BLOCKING THE NEWCASTLE COAL PORT,” Blockade Australia said on Facebook on Wednesday. 

“The Australian system acts blatantly against the interests of the land and people. It sacrifices a safe climate, clean water and community autonomy for profit. This is our response.” 

More to come

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