Blockade Australia members were before Sydney Central Local Court this week - face prospect of two years gaol and $22,000 fine

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 June 2022:

A car has driven through in Sydney's CBD as unrest continues.

A car has driven into a march by a climate activist group in Sydney’s CBD on Monday morning. NSW Police said they were aware of the incident and had commenced inquiries.

The Harbour Tunnel was earlier blocked by a member of the group Blockade Australia, while other CBD streets were obstructed during a morning of protest.

The woman, 22, from Lismore, blocked the southbound entrance to the tunnel by chaining herself to the steering wheel of her parked white car just after 8am.

The tunnel reopened after police arrested her. Southbound traffic on the Warringah Freeway and Gore Hill Freeway has since cleared.

The woman, named Mali, live-streamed the event in which an unknown man repeatedly approached her car to yell obscenities at her.

So far, 10 people have been arrested after participating in the unauthorised protest. They are awaiting charges at Surry Hills and Day Street police stations.

“I’ve watched much devastation with two one-in-100-year floods. This is climate change. I cannot stay silent any more. I cannot be complacent any more. The colony of Australia, this destructive colony system landed here, hellbent on spreading exploitative practices all over the earth,” Mali told viewers.

“To those people who are really angry right now, I understand, and it’s not a good thing to be experiencing. You know what? Climate change isn’t a good thing to be experiencing.

“There’s a lot of people yelling, it’s quite overwhelming, but it’s been an overwhelming year. I was lucky in Lismore, but I’ve seen people that I love lose everything and places I love be destroyed.”

The Blockade Australia protest began at Hyde Park at 8am and quickly moved across the city’s CBD towards the harbour. Streets were obstructed with wheelie bins, plastic crates, and other items.

The protesters began to disperse in the CBD just before 9am. According to internal communications seen by The Sydney Morning Herald, the group intended to reconvene at lunchtime. NSW Police estimate about 50 to 60 people were involved in the protest….

Read the full article here.

NSW Police Public Site – News, 27 June 2022, Charges laid following unauthorised protests, excerpt:

Police have made 10 arrests following unauthorised protests in the Sydney CBD and North Sydney this morning…...

Those arrested are:

• A 49-year-old man from Williamstown, Victoria, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path (two counts). He’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 25-year-old man from Brandy Hill, NSW, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path (two counts). He’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 34-year-old woman from Leichhardt charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path; and wilfully prevent free passage of person/vehicle/vessel. He was given strict conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 21 July 2022.

• A 24-year-old woman from Preston, Victoria, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path; and wilfully prevent free passage of person/vehicle/vessel. He’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 26-year-old man from Ellinbank, Victoria, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path; and wilfully prevent free passage of person/vehicle/vessel. He was given strict conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 21 July 2022.

• A 21-year-old woman from Lismore Heights charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc. She’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 30-year-old woman from Carnegie, Victoria, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path; and wilfully prevent free passage of person/vehicle/vessel. She was given strict conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 21 July 2022.

• A 22-year-old woman from St Lucia, Queensland, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; pedestrian obstruct driver’s/other pedestrian’s path; and wilfully prevent free passage of person/vehicle/vessel. She’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 25-year-old man from Coburg, Victoria, charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; and wilfully prevent free passage of a person or vehicle. He’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

• A 22-year-old woman from Petersham charged with Enter etc Sydney Harbour Bridge etc disrupt etc vehicles etc; and wilfully prevent free passage of a person or vehicle. She’s been bail refused to appear in Central Local Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 June 2022).

Perth Now, 28 June 2022:

The young woman who locked herself onto the steering wheel of a car blocking Sydney's harbour tunnel in peak-hour traffic has been granted conditional bail along with fellow climate protesters……

Mr Davis outside court said his clients were brave in the face of the newly implemented penalties that target protests on major roads, ports and railways.

Some face two years in prison and a fine of $22,000.

The group will next return to court on July 19 where they are expected to enter pleas.

Bail conditions include reporting to police three times a week, restrictions from entering Sydney's CBD, and prevention from contacting co-accused.

#Breaking: 31-year-old man from Bondi fined for negligent driving for driving through Blockade Australia protest yesterday in Sydney. $469 fine and 3 demerit points. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/2oOWKl90IH

— andrew rickert (@_rockrit) June 28, 2022

OK, in general I'm against climate change extremists causing this disruption to the city. Then I read that the Harbour Bridge blockade woman was from Lismore. NSW has royally screwed Lismore & other disaster locations. Those people are desperate. https://t.co/R8sG8w2IUX

— TheTossitAcctForCustomerServiceIssues (@BadCustSvc101) June 27, 2022

Scientists around the world are losing trust in national governments' responses to global climate change and are calling for a peaceful rising up against governments which are failing to act proportionarely to the scale of the crisis

Scientists’ Declaration of Support for Non-Violent Direct Action Against Government Inaction Over the Climate and Ecological Emergency, October 2019:

THIS DECLARATION SETS OUT THE CURRENT SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS CONCERNING THE CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY, AND HIGHLIGHTS THE NECESSITY FOR URGENT ACTION TO PREVENT FURTHER AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE HABITABILITY OF OUR PLANET. 

As scientists, we have dedicated our lives to the study and understanding of the world and our place in it. We declare that scientific evidence shows beyond any reasonable doubt that human-caused changes to the Earth’s land, sea and air are severely threatening the habitability of our planet. We further declare that overwhelming evidence shows that if global greenhouse gas emissions are not brought rapidly down to net zero and biodiversity loss is not halted, we risk catastrophic and irreversible damage to our planetary life-support systems, causing incalculable human suffering and many deaths. 

We note that despite the scientific community first sounding the alarm on human-caused global warming more than four decades ago, no action taken by governments thus far has been sufficient to halt the steep rise in greenhouse gas emissions, nor address the ever-worsening loss of biodiversity. Therefore, we call for immediate and decisive action by governments worldwide to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, to prevent further biodiversity loss and to restore, to the fullest extent possible, the damage that has already been done. We further call upon governments to provide particular support to those who will be most affected by climate change and by the required transition to a sustainable economy. 

As scientists we have an obligation that extends beyond merely describing and understanding the natural world to taking an active part in helping to protect it. We note that the scientific community has already tried all conventional methods to draw attention to the crisis. We believe that the continued governmental inaction over the climate and ecological crisis now justifies peaceful and non-violent protest and direct action, even if this goes beyond the bounds of the current law. We therefore support those who are rising up peacefully against governments around the world that are failing to act proportionately to the scale of the crisis. We believe it is our moral duty to act now, and we urge other scientists to join us in helping to protect humanity’s only home. [my yellow highlighting]

***** 
To show your support, please add your name to the list below and share with your colleagues. If you’d like to join us at the International Rebellion in London from October 7th (full list of global October Rebellions here), or to find out more, please join our Scientists for Extinction Rebellion Facebook group or email scientistsforxr@protonmail.com. 

Signatories: Signatures are invited from individuals holding a Master's Degree or more, in a field directly related to the sciences, or who work in a scientific field. 

Please note: the views of individuals signing this document do not necessarily represent those of the university or organisation they work for. 

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Mike Madden, Ph.D. Candidate, Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina Barthelemy Caron, Ph.D .candidate, Imagine Institute, Paris, France Holly M. English, PhD student in Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin. MRes Bioscience, Swansea University. Dr Andrew L. Fanning, Marie Curie Research Fellow, Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds Professor Rich Pancost, Head of the School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol Dr Barbara Brayshay, Ph.D in Environmental Change, University of Sheffield, Living Maps Network, London Tony Warne, Senior Investigator Scientist, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK Larkin Sayre, MPhil in Energy Technologies, PhD candidate in Materials Science, University of Cambridge UK Dr Harriet Downey, Research Associate, University of Cambridge, PhD in Zoology University of Oxford Dr Judith Lock, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, UK Eleonore Poli, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Dr Philip Webber, formerly University of London (Imperial College) & Leeds (School of Earth & Environment) Thomas Bedford MPhys, PhD Student, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Katie Christoffers, MSc Neuroscience, University of Oxford, UK Dr. Mike Bennison, PhD (Chemistry), Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Patrick Taylor, PhD student, department of physics, University of Cambridge Dr. Benjamin Lang, PhD (Molecular Systems Biology), Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain Dr Pauline Audergon, Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for genomic Regulation(CRG) Bacelona, Spain Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Mihaela Nemes, MRes Brain Science, UCL, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Dr Anna-Lena Schaupp, Postdoctoral researcher, Immunology, University of Oxford Dr Jonathan Mackenzie, Research Fellow, University of the Arts London and University of Cambridge Maximilian Bloomfield MSci MEng, PhD student, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge Dr Claire Asher, PhD (Genetics, Ecology & Evolution, University of Leeds), Freelance Science Journalist, London, UK Emeline Rougeaux, PhD Student, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London UK Dr Alistair Jennings, freelance science filmmaker, london, uk. Dr Matias Acosta, Fellow at the Center for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge, UK Prof Rachel Oliver, Professor of Materials Science, University of Cambridge Dr. Lorena Moscovich, Professor of Political Science, Universidad de San Andrés Dr Jim Rafferty, Research assistant and data scientist, Swansea University Medical School. Joonatan Laulainen, PhD Student, Department of Materials Science, University of Cambridge Dr Jenny Baker, EPSRC Fellow, College of Engineering, Swansea University. George Lewis, PhD Student, Department of Materials Science, University of Cambridge Pam DiBona, M.S. environmental scientist, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Neil Grant, PhD Student, Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London Charlotte Phillips MSc., Research Assistant, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Dr Beth Breeze, Director, Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent, UK Louise Johnson F.RGS MSc (Environmental Management, University of Surrey, 2002) Dr. Gareth Dale, Politics, Brunel University Michael Fielding, Emeritus Professor of Education UCL Institute of Education, London, UK Raquel Garcia Olivas, PhD (Biomedicine), Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain Dr Stuart Hodkinson, Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK Dr Andrea Dimitracopoulos, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, UK Dr Lina Brand Correa, Research Fellow, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, UK Professor Neil Marriott, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Winchester Silvia Benito, PhD student in molecular biology, University of Cambridge, UK Bill McGuire, Professor Emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards, UCL, UK Dr Miguel A Maestro, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona, Spain Professor Simon Jobson, Dean of the Faculty of Health & Wellbeing, University of Winchester, UK Professor Douglas Parker, Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds Helen Spander, Professor of Mental Health Studies, University of Central Lancashire Dr Mia Gray, Dept of Geography, University of Cambridge Dr Mary Phillips, Reader in Organization Studies, University of Bristol Prof Wendy Hollway, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Open University, UK Dr Andreas Vossler, Senior Lecturer, The Open University, UK Prof Lisa Isherwood, Eco- theologian, University of Wales Trinity St David Dr Simona Giordano, Reader in Bioethics, The University of Manchester Law School Professor Andrew Watterson, Public Health and Population Health Research Group, University of Stirling James Mckay, Centre Manager, EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Bioenergy at University of Leeds Rebecca Budgett, PhD Student in Molecular Pharmacology, University of Glasgow, MSc in Neuroscience and BSc in Human Sciences from UCL Professor Adrian Kendry, Economics, Security and Peacebuilding, University of Winchester Professor Andrew Samuels, University of Essex, UK Nicole Morgan, M.Sc. Biological Oceanography, Ph.D. Candidate Oceanography, Florida State University Dr Duncan McCollin, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, University of Northampton Dr Matt Watson, Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Sheffield Andrew Simms, Research Associate, University of Sussex, Coordinator, Rapid Transition Alliance. Dr Haiko Ballieux, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Cognitive Science, University of Westminster Dr Rebekah Fraser, PhD Chemistry, Durham University Chris van Hoorn, PhD candidate, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Cambridge university. Jacqui Keenan, MSc Conservation & Biodiversity, University of Exeter Richard Clarke, Honorary Research Fellow, University of London Birkbeck College and Visiting Scholar, University of Westminster Sandra Cortijo, postdoc, SLCU, University of Cambridge Jorge E. Vinuales, Harold Samuel Professor of Law and Environmental Policy, University of Cambridge Dr Rasha Rezk, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge Bianca De Sanctis, MPhil computational biology, PhD student, Departments of Zoology and Genetics, University of Cambridge Lisa Heinke, PhD Candidate, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge Prof. Buzz Baum, Professor of Cell Biology, UCL, London Dr Suman Fernando, Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences in the School of Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University, London UK Paul Hoggett, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, UWE, Bristol. Helen Spandler, Professor of Mental Health Studies, University of Central Lancashire Joshua M. Lawrence, PhD Candidate, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge Professor Colin Davis, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, UK Professor Jeremy J Baumberg, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK Dr Simon Sneddon, PhD Nuclear Power, University of Northampton Dave Hudson, MSc Conservation and Biodiversity, University of Exeter Joanne M. Santini, Professor of Microbiology, UCL Dr. Luzie U. Wingen, Dept. of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK Dr Seamus A. Ward, MA, PhD, UCL Mick Cooper, D. Phil. Dr Alice Reid, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, UK Prof. Del Loewenthal, Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, UK Andrew Simms, Research Associate, Centre for Global Political Economy, University of Sussex Prof Paul Routledge university of Leeds Nina Richardson PGCE Science, MA Society, Science and Nature, BSc Hons. Combined Sciences Brittany Trew, PhD Candidate, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter Raichael Lock, PhD, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. Duncan Scholtes CEng, MEng University of Cambridge. Electrified Powertrain Engineer. Dr Ian Willis, Reader in Glaciology, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge Dr Michael Littledyke, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia Dr Rupert Read, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom. Daniel K Swan, MEng Renewable Energy Systems Technology, C.R.E.S.T (Centre For Renewable Energy Systems Technology), Loughborough University Dr Philip Mousley (PhD Condensed matter physics), Post Doctoral Research Associate, Diamond Light Source Synchrotron, UK Dr Judith Thornton, Low Carbon Manager, IBERS, Aberystwyth University, UK. Dr Teresa Del Bianco, Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre of Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck University of London, UK Elli Rivers, Research Associate in avian ecology, MSc Biodiversity Conservation, Bournemouth University. Giulia Calignano, PhD candidate, University of Trento. Professor Rick Stafford, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Bournemouth University, UK Bruce Greetham, MMath, Cambridge University Dr Gregory Carslaw, PhD Psychology, University of Birmingham Dr Jere Koskela, Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics, University of Warwick Dr Carys Bennett, School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, UK Alex Bradley, PhD Candidate, Mathematics Institute, University of Oxford Prof David Leys, Professor in Structural Biology, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, UK Susannah McLaren, MPhil, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge Oliver Pocknell BSc Natural Sciences, University of Bath, Teacher of Physics and Chemistry (Secondary) Matthew Charles, MSc Meteorology and Climatology, PGR student at the University of East Anglia Dr Anna-Lena Schaupp, Postdoctoral researcher in immunology, University of Oxford, UK Dr Marco Spartera, Cardiologist and Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford, UK Professor James Bullock, Ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Professor Seralynne Vann, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, UK Professor Luca Borger, Chair in Ecology and Biodiversity & Co-Director Centre for Biomathematics, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, UK Jonas Van der Slycken, PhD Candidate in Ecological Economics, Ghent University, Belgium Jonny Saunders, MS Psychology, PhD student Systems Neuroscience, University of Oregon, USA Professor Simon Schultz, Director, Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College London. Dr Carmel Howe, Research Associate, Imperial College London, UK Dr Tim Chen, Senior Lecturer, Centre of AI, University of Technology Sydney. Paul Dumble MSc CWRM CEnv, Independent specialist waste & environment, Melrose Scotland Professor Steven Dakin, Head, School of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of Auckland Dr. Tyler J. Kohler, Postdoctoral Research Associate, EPFL, Switzerland Matthew Henry, PhD Candidate in Climate Science, McGill University, Canada Dr. Heather Short, Professor of Geosciences, John Abbott College, Canada Kenneth Miller, Professor of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Dr Pia Benaud, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Geography, University of Exeter, UK Dr. Abid Hussaini, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Dr. Jenny Smith-Wymant, Health Engagement Officer, Peterborough, UK Dr. Chethan Pandarinath, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neurosurgery, Emory University and Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA Dr. Torkel Hafting, Professor in Physiology, University of Oslo, Norway Dr. Henry H. Adam, retired professional physical chemist, Bedfordshire, England. Hector Pollitt, Cambridge Econometrics, UK. David Barns, PhD student, School of Chemical & Process Engineering, University of Leeds, UK Sarah Warren, MSc in Conservation, UCL Dr. Janne M. Korhonen, Researcher, climate mitigation, Turku School of Economics, Finland Dr. Kirsikka Kaipainen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Tampere University, Finland Dr Sophie Haslett, Postdoctoral Researcher in Atmospheric Science, Stockholm University, Sweden Dr Aet Annist, Senior Researcher in Social Anthropology, University of Tartu, Estonia Professor Andy Dobson, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 Dr Eeva Houtbeckers, Postdoctoral researcher, postgrowth working life studies, Aalto University, Finland Professor Adam Aron, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego. Dr. Robert Kraus Jr., Ph.D., Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired) Franco La Zia, Ph.D candidate, Physics, Royal Holloway University of London Annabel Hindmarsh, BSc Zoology, University of East Anglia. MSc Oceanography, University of Southampton Thomas E. Smith, B.S. Astronomy. Studied solar system planetary atmos. et.al. With Hubble. STScI. USA. Sarah E. Moore, BSc Biology, MS student in Biology, Indiana State University, USA Dr Christian Engelbrekt, PhD, Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark Dr. Paula T. Kuokkanen, Postdoctoral researcher, Neuroscience, Institute for theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany Dr. Patti Frazer Lock, Ph.D. mathematics and statistics, St. Lawrence University Dr David B. Reiss, Ph.D. Theoretical Physics Ryan McCabe, PhD Candidate Planetary Science, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, USA Dr. Jason E. Ybarra, Ph.D. Astronomy, Assistant Professor of Physics, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA, USA Mihkel Kangur, PhD, Ecology, Senior researcher of Ecology, Associated Professor of Sustainable Development, TallinnUniversity, Estonia Dr Sander van der Linden, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Environmental Psychology Lowell Andrew R. Iporac, Ph.D Candidate, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA Laura Sirot, Ph.D., Department of Biology, The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio Mark Dobday, P.G. MA Geology Adam Francis Smith, MSc (Wildlife Ecology and Management), Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. Jessie Joachim B.S. (Biology), MPH (Master of Public Health) candidate 2020, Vallejo, CA USA Alice Vislova B.S. (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior), Ph.D (Oceanography) candidate 2020, Honolulu, HI USA Dr. Leah Gottlieb, Ph.D. (Chemistry) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Marine Krzisch, Ph.D. (neurobiology), Cambridge, MA Bineh Ndefru, Ph.D Student, Materials Science and Engineering, University of California-Los Angeles, USA Dr. Benjamin Neimark, Ph.D. (Human Geography) Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster, UK Sophia Chan, PhD Candidate, Chemical Engineering, Columbia University Dr. Janne Hirvonen, (Energy technology), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, Finland Kevin Shi, PhD Candidate, Computer Science, Columbia University Tomo Saric, M.D., Ph.D., Group Leader, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Clair Brown, PhD, Prof of Economics, University of California, Berkeley Leticia Avilés, PhD, Dept of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Keith Pezzoli, PhD, Bioregional Center for Sustainability Science, Planning and Design. University of California, San Diego, USA. Dion Amago Whitehead, PhD Bielefeld University, Germany Professor Gail Whiteman, PhD (Management), Rubin Chair in Sustainability, Lancaster University, UK

By mid-morning on 14 October 2019 there were at least 459 signatories to this open letter.

"The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and must not be thrown away for political expediency."

The Daily Examiner, letter to the editor, 9 October 2019, p.13:

Amend or reject

PEOPLE will face more time in jail for peaceful protest than for grievous bodily harm if the government’s Right to Farm Bill becomes law.

The bill provides for three-year prison terms for protesters while the penalty for permanently or seriously disfiguring another person is a maximum of two years. Is this really the sort of society the Coalition government wants us to become?

Under this proposal people as diverse as Wallaby great David Pocock and the knitting nannas could go to jail for making their point peacefully and democratically.

The government claims these dangerous laws are needed to protect farmers from trespassers, but the law already has those safeguards. The irony is that farmers may have the most to lose.

Farmers have led campaigns to save the Pilliga and the Bentley region from coal seam gas and the Hunter, Bylong Valley, Gloucester Valley and the Liverpool Plains from coal.

The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and must not be thrown away for political expediency.

History tells us that when governments erode the civil liberties of any group, they erode them for us all. This bill must be amended or rejected.

Chris Gambian, Chief Executive, NSW Nature Conservation Council

BACKGROUND

Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Review Committee, Review Digest, 24 September 2019:

"The Bill significantly increases the maximum penalty for the offence of aggravated unlawful entry on inclosed lands from $5,500 to $13,200 and/or imprisonment for 12 months. The potential penalties rise to $22,000 or three years imprisonment if the offender is accompanied by two or more persons or if s/he does anything to put the safety of any person at serious risk. Large increases in penalties can result in excessive punishment where the penalty is not proportionate to the offence. However, the Committee acknowledges that the penalty increase is designed to better reflect the severity of the offences as well as the impact such offences have on farmers and primary production activities. It is also to account for the risks caused by trespassing on agricultural land and interfering with agricultural equipment and infrastructure.....

The Bill introduces a new offence that applies to those who incite or direct trespass without committing trespass themselves, which could attract a maximum penalty of 12 months imprisonment. The Committee notes that the creation of new offences impacts upon the rights and liberties of persons as previously lawful conduct becomes unlawful. " 

Is NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian intending "to make it a priority to finish off effective protection of the natural environment – something started years ago under the Coalition State Government"?

On Thursday 4 April 2019 the local Knitting Nannas held a protest knit-in outside the electoral office of NSW Nationals MP for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis.

Below is the text of their letter to Mr. Gulaptis dated the same day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Knitting Nannas Against Gas

Grafton Loop

c/- PO Box 763

Grafton 2460

knaggrafton@gmail.com

4th April 2019

                                                                        C O P Y

Mr C Gulaptis MP

Member for Clarence

11 Prince Street

GRAFTON  NSW 2460

Dear Mr Gulaptis

Dissolving of Office of Environment and Heritage

The Grafton Nannas are very concerned about your Government’s recently announced intention of doing away with the Office of Environment and Heritage as an independent entity.

We have long been worried about the Government’s lack of concern about protecting the natural environment for current and future generations of humans as well as for other life forms.

Government policies over recent years have been seen by many in our community and elsewhere as being a de facto war on the natural environment.

For example:

• Changes to vegetation laws which have led to a large increase in clearing of habitat which is important to the survival of native flora and fauna.  This weakening of the former laws is also likely to lead to increased topsoil loss and general land degradation.

• Changes to logging regulations which threaten the sustainability of native forests which belong to the people of NSW – and not to logging interests. These changes include limiting pre-logging fauna surveys, an inevitable increase in clear-felling, and reduction in the width of buffer zones along streams.  

• Failure to protect the health of rivers, particularly those in the Murray-Darling Basin.  For years the NSW Government, as well as the Federal Government, has been pandering to the irrigation industry while ignoring the need to protect river health by ensuring that flows are adequate for river health.  The drought is not an excuse for this folly.

• Other examples include the cutting of funding to the National Parks & Wildlife Service and penny-pinching changes to its structure as well as the failure to ensure that the existing weak environment laws are enforced and appropriate penalties imposed on those who breach them.

We are aware that the Premier recently stated that her Government would make the environment a priority. 

Since hearing that OEH was to lose any of the limited independence it currently has and is to be pushed into a mega-Planning Department, we are left wondering about what the premier actually meant about “priority”.  Did she mean that she intended to make it a priority to finish off effective protection of the natural environment – something started years ago under the Coalition State Government?  It looks very much like that to the Nannas.

Yours sincerely

Leonie Blain

On behalf of the Grafton Nannas

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