Protesters learn art of direct action by activists

Cable car opponents are mounting a last-ditch effort to stop drilling on kunanyi/Mt Wellington after receiving training in direct action from the activists of the Bob Brown Foundation.

Anti Cable-Car proponents Lou Sales (left) and Ted Cutland at Fern Tree. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

DOZENS of cable car opponents are mounting a last-ditch effort to stop drilling on kunanyi/Mt Wellington after receiving training in direct action from the activists of the Bob Brown Foundation.

About 60 protesters descended on Fern Tree Tavern on Sunday to learn the art of peaceful action from the foundation’s campaign manager Jenny Weber, as they fight to stop the cable car company from drilling at 32 spots on the mountain.

Residents Opposed to the Cable Car spokesman Ted Cutlan said they believed the State Government would grant the Mount Wellington Cableway Company permission to drill within the next few days. He said they had about 10 protest actions ready to roll out very quickly.

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Mr Cutlan said they learned protesting was all about organisation and planning to make sure people knew what they were getting themselves into.

“It was very heartening to see younger and older people there wanting to make a difference,” he said. “The drilling will involve a lot of road and track closures. People don’t have any idea of the scale of what is going on here.”

MWCC chairman Chris Oldfield urged opponents to make sure their planned actions were peaceful.

“If they want to organise these things it’s entirely up to them, they have the right to protest, but there’s the expectation that it’s peaceful,” he said.

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Mr Oldfield said the drilling was aimed at gathering information to lodge a development application.

“This work is about completing the DA,” he said. “We’re doing what everyone wants us to do and lodge a DA.”

Premier Will Hodgman yesterday labelled the protesters the “anti-everything brigade”.

“There will always be people who oppose what is happening in our community,” he said. “The fact they will go and train themselves how to best do that shows how serious they are.

Mr Cutlan said they would do everything they could to peacefully defend the mountain.

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