CSG protesters: New laws will crack down on ‘fascists’
THE Baird government will crack down on CSG and mining protesters, increasing fines and giving police new search and seizure powers.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Baird government will crack down on CSG and mining protesters, increasing fines and giving police new search and seizure powers.
The new powers will allow police to issue “move on” orders on private land, similar to those now available on public land. The laws will allow police to deal with people trying to lock-on to equipment to disrupt operation, and the fines for aggravated unlawful entry on enclosed lands will rise from $550 to $5500.
Energy Minister Anthony Roberts said the measures were necessary to protect miner and police lives from “eco-fascists” and said jail terms could even be considered in future if the tougher penalties were not enough.
The changes come after 30 incidents of unlawful entry to the Santos-owned property Leewood were recorded in the first two weeks of February.
More than 300 incidents of obstruction have been recorded since November.
Of the 39 people rounded up at the Pilliga project this year, virtually none are from the local area around Narrabri.
The protesters are from locations including Bondi, Melbourne, Adelaide, Lismore, Murwillumbah and the Central Coast.
Santos said staff and contractors have been followed home by activists and threatened, along with their families.
“Workers have been followed home and vehicles have been vandalised and defaced with material,” a spokesman said. “Santos believes it’s very disappointing that they (the protesters) claim to speak for the locals.
“We have overwhelming support from the local community.”
The new laws also come after an incident at the Whitehaven Maules Creek mine in September 2014, where 187 wires attached to extremely powerful explosives were tampered with, posing danger to protesters and workers
Join the conversation
‘Hijack’ fear: Jewish leader’s Sydney Biennale warning
A prominent Jewish leader has called on governments “not to be naive” as speculation mounts that Australia’s largest arts festival in Sydney next year will be hijacked as a platform for pro-Palestinian activism.
Read more
Shock twist: Drug pilot’s case of history repeating
A pilot jailed for flying a small plane into Australia full of drugs did the same thing a decade earlier under a different name but escaped prison because the court heard he had cancer. See the latest twist to this story.
Read more