Third day of Blockade Australia protests at Port Botany despite harsher penalties

NSW Police will deploy a new strike force to Port Botany, after two German men arrested over unlawful protests had their visas cancelled.

NSW Police have established a new strike force to tackle the environmental protest group which has brought freight operations at Port Botany grinding to a halt for three days in a row.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole announced the formation of Strike Force Guard to stop the protests at the port, saying more police resources would be tipped into protecting the major freight gateway.

“We’re going to see more boots on the ground. We’re going to see more intel work being done to actually target these unauthorised protests. And this is going to be looking at things around investigating and certainly dealing with these unauthorised protesters that we see across the state,” Mr Toole said.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter said the force would be able to draw on resources ranging from the dog squad and mounted police as they looked to curb Blockade Australia’s continued protests.

“We will be on the ground from darkness and we will continue through for 24 hours for the next number of weeks. That’s the commitment and dedication we are putting to this operation which we deem as very significant,” he said.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole will deploy Strike Force Guard to Port Botany amid the rolling protests.

“There’ll be an investigative arm and equally a high visibility, preventative, proactive, police which will include all the assets of the organisation, whether they be boots on the ground, whether they be hired to trial, public order specialists, marine aviation, mounted police and dogs if required.

It’s the second strike force of its kind, after police set up Strike Force Tuohy in November last year after a rolling series of protests by the same group blocked freight lines in the Hunter over a fortnight.

Blockade Australia were responsible for a series of protests disrupting coal freight in the Hunter in 2021.

Meanwhile, federal immigration minister Alex Hawke has used the same powers used to boot unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic from the country to cancel the visas of two German men arrested for unlawful protests at Port Botany.

23-year-old Henrik Bonde and brother Jelle Bonde will be forced to return to their home country after participating in the illegal blockades on Tuesday. Mr Hawke said the protesters’ permission to stay in the country was revoked on “good order grounds” on the basis it was in the public interest to do so.

“Today I exercised my power under section 133C (3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visas held by two non-citizen protesters on good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so. In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force,” Mr Hawke said.

“Families going about their business, driving to school or work, do not deserve to be disrupted by the attention-seeking stunts of unlawful protesters.”

23-year-old Henrik Bonde will be deported following his protest on Tuesday.

“Australians expect guests in our country to comply with our laws. Under the Morrison Government, non-citizens who violate our laws will be considered for visa cancellation,” he said.

It comes as the NSW Government announced protesters who shut down traffic on bridges and tunnels will now face up to two years in jail and a $22,000 fine under tough new rules to stop traffic chaos.

The Daily Telegraph revealed overnight the state government was working to make it an offence to disrupt any bridge or tunnel across Greater Sydney.

On Thursday morning Mr Toole, Attorney General Mark Speakman and Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward announced the Roads Amendment Regulation 2022 would be added to the Roads Act 1993, enacting steeper penalties for disruption on bridges and roads.

The offence, which until now only applied to the Harbour Bridge, carries a maximum penalty of two years’ jail, a $22,000 fine, or both.

Henrik suspended himself up a nine-metre pole at Port Botany.

The government will also put legislation before Parliament to expand the amendment under section 144G so the penalties would also apply to protesters who block roads, industrial and transport facilities.

“The penalties currently in place have clearly not deterred protesters who continue to block roads across Sydney, disrupting transport networks, freight chains, production lines and everyday commuters getting to work or to school – and it can’t keep happening,” Mr Toole said.

“Unauthorised protests have no place in our State, and these tighter laws and tougher penalties we’re introducing prove we have zero tolerance for this selfish, disruptive and unruly behaviour.”

Ms Ward said the protest action had “no place on NSW roads”.

“Under these changes, protesters who block major routes including the Spit Bridge and the Western Distributor will now face harsher penalties, aligned to the disruption they create across the road network,” she said.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns supported the new penalties saying their protests are deterring voters from supporting the critical issue.

“At the very moment when we’re trying to build a coalition around climate change, to make it a mainstream issue, and to ensure that it has bipartisan support and the support of millions of people … this is one the most damaging things that anybody could do,” he said.

“They’re not disrupting billionaire coal barons, they’re actually hitting organisation Australians who are just going about their work.
“I’m watching and fearing that votes are draining away from action on climate change … the NSW opposition support proposed changes to fines and potentially imprisonment.”

The crackdown is in response to a rolling series of protests by climate pests Blockade Australia.

Protesters returned to Port Botany for a third day of action this morning, with a man arrested after he suspended himself from a pole, blocking the port’s freight railway line.

The protester suspended above railway tracks on Thursday.

The man photographed hanging from the pole. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Police at the scene. Picture: Jeremy Piper

About 7.30am, Blockade Australia posted a live video online of a man suspended from a nine-metre pole and ropes in the rail corridor near Banksia St, Pagewood.

Road traffic is not disrupted but motorists and locals are urged to avoid the area.

Police were heard in the man’s video telling him he was under arrest, with the protester responding “no” when asked to get down.

Officers from Police Rescue used a ladder to bring the man down onto the train tracks, where he was arrested just before 9am.

The man has been taken to Mascot Police Station in a paddy wagon and charges are expected to be laid in the coming hours.

Protesters on Wednesday night.

“This is the only action the system responds to,” the man said to the camera in his live video.

It comes as a 21-year-old activist was arrested on Wednesday after suspending himself from a pole at the entrance to Port Botany – a day after his 23 year-old brother was arrested over a similar stunt nearby.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told 2GB she would look at options to deport the two German students over their alleged involvement in the protests.

“It‘s pretty appalling, I would encourage them to stop what they’re doing and if they can’t behave themselves they should voluntarily leave the country,” Ms Andrews said.

“I’ll have a look at the circumstances, speak to (Australian) Border Force and get some advice on my department … character cancellations are an option to be considered for cancelling a visa but we’ll have to have a look at that and the circumstances and whether it meets the threshold.”

She added: “No one would support their conduct, it‘s stupid, it’s disruptive, they should stop or go home.”

A protester was arrested at Port Botany on Wednesday.

One 71 year-old woman allegedly chained herself to the steering wheel of one truck using a bike lock, while the second, aged 57, was found sitting on top of the other vehicle.

Both were arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station, where they were charged with encouraging the carrying on of an operation for the commission of crime, not obeying police directions and wilfully preventing free passage of a person, vehicle or vessel.

They will appear at Waverley Local Court on April 20.

The suspended male protester filmed live from the scene on Wednesday, dangling above the Botany shores as police and fire rescue teams attempted to speak to him.

Police seen working out how to bring the suspended protester down- have since arrested the man.

Wednesday was the second time in as many days Port Botany’s operations have been disrupted by Blockade Australia protests.

One officer abseiled down to the man while rescue teams worked to lower the cables stretched across the bridge blocking traffic.

Acting Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole earlier said the two men were German students and he had spoken to the Australian Border Force about kicking them out of the country.

“I want them deported,” he said.

“They have no place here in NSW to be hosting these protests and to be putting people’s lives and their businesses at risk. They’re not studying (here) clearly to me. They’re more interested in protesting and causing huge disruptions here in the state.”

The cost of the two days of protests was yesterday estimated to run into the millions of dollars, with the blockades causing direct economic loss and lost productivity.

Fireproof Australia blocked the Spit Bridge earlier this month.

Traffic delays on the Spit Bridge during the protest. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Police will bolster security at the port to stop Blockade Australia protesters from striking again.

“The penalties currently in place have clearly not deterred protesters who continue to block roads across Sydney,” Mr Toole said.

“It can’t keep happening. Unauthorised protests have no place in our state and these tighter laws and tougher penalties we’re introducing prove we have zero tolerance for this selfish, disruptive and unruly behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Labor leader Chris Minns on Wednesday backed extra resources to stop protesters causing traffic chaos.

He called for police to provide extra patrols and enforcement and provide advice on tougher penalties for repeat offenders.

“This idiotic behaviour must be stopped,” he said. “Blockade Australia have flagged they have big plans for more action later this year, so the Police Minister needs to make sure they actually have the resources in place to deal with it,” he said.

Acting Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Attorney-General Mark Speakman. Picture: Tim Hunter.

The chief executive of industry body Road Freight Australia, Simon O’Hara, estimated the cost of the Port Botany protests would have been in the “millions of dollars,” with trucking companies losing a “chunk of productivity”.

He said the protests had “choked” the supply chain at the port.

Mr O’Hara said the freight industry was respectful of protesters’ views but believed blocking traffic near the port was turning the public against their cause.

Blockade Australia also took part in a rolling series of blockades on Hunter railway lines late last year resulting in delays to millions of dollars worth of freight.

The group said recent protests were intended to cause “mass disruption that cannot be ignored” and another protest was planned to block CBD streets in June.