Two anti-fracking protesters arrested after man locks himself to mining equipment

Police have responded to an anti-fracking micro-protest at East Arm. Read how the arrests unfolded.

Two anti-frackers have been arrested after a micro-protest at East Arm wharf last week.

Three activists scaled a fence at East Arm at about 6am Friday morning, with one of the group locking himself to fracking equipment.

The mini-activists contacted media immediately after gaining entry with images and video of their incursion.

Police said they received reports from around 8am that three people had unlawfully entered a multi-purpose facility at East Arm Wharf.

“Upon police arrival, one male followed directions to leave while a second male was arrested for trespass for failing to leave after being directed to do so,” a police spokesperson said.

“The third male secured himself to the frame of a generator with a locking device.

“Members from the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service removed the device and he was arrested by waiting police without incident. The man has since been issued a Notice to Appear for trespass.”

He is scheduled to appear at Darwin Local Court on June 23.

Micro-protester locks his left arm to East Arm in anti-fracking action

Anti-fracking campaigners are staging a micro-protest at Darwin’s East Arm wharf.

The tiny team of activists this morning shifted their focus from politicians to the port with longtime anti-development activist Justin Tutty locking himself to a piece of kit used for gas production.

Mr Tutty used a steel-tube protest devise to lock his left arm to the mining equipment, which is currently in storage on a hard stand at East Arm adjacent to Darwin Port.

The Anti-fracking protester locked to the equipment at East Arm on Friday.

The three anti-fracking protesters scaled a fence at a common user area owned by the Land Development Corporation about 6am, before contacting media with vision and images of the break-in.

A small number of supporters have also assembled outside.

Anti-fracking protesters erected signage at East Arm Wharf on Friday.

The equipment belongs to Tamboran Resources which held a media event with Mining Minister Nicole Manison at Darwin Port a fortnight ago to flag the arrival in Australia of the enormous drilling rig.

At the time the company was extremely guarded about when the equipment would be moved on-site by road to the Beetaloo Basin, fearing disruption by anti-fracking protesters.

Mining companies are alert to the threat of protests but generally decline to discuss the subject in public for fear of provoking a reaction.

Anti-fracking campaigner Kat, who was not on site and declined to give her full name, said the protesters would remain until removed by police, saying they were “concerned Territorians” who want to stop fracking.

protestors in Darwin who've stopped tamboran's megafracker rig by locking onto it in this morning explain what they're doing and why pic.twitter.com/p59NWwh3sG

— Frack Free NT (@FrackFreeNT) May 25, 2023

“They trespassed to get in,” she said. “Not 100 per cent sure who owns the land but they scaled a fence at 6am this morning, he wants to stay as long as he can.

“It’s part of wanting to demonstrate to Tamboran they’re not welcome here, we don’t want them here and we want to cause as much disruption to operations because we don’t want it to occur.”

Tamboran Resources Limited managing director and CEO Joel Riddle

Kat said the Labor government won office in 2016 on a platform of “questioning fracking” but acknowledged that a cohort of Territorians supported the industry.

“Survey after survey has been done in the NT and no matter who it’s done by, an overwhelming number of respondents don’t want fracking,” she said.

She singled-out chief minister Natasha Fyles as having publicly raised questions around fracking when in opposition.

“There are videos of Natasha Fyles talking about fracking’s impact on water and a lot of people voted against it and voted for the Labor Party,” she said.

Labor comfortably won the 2020 election while promising to introduce fracking in line with recommendations from the Pepper Inquiry.

Tamboran and the Land Development Corporation declined to comment and comment has also been sought from NT Police and the NT government.