Rising Tide Blockades Australia’s largest coal plant;29 Arrested

Rising Tide Australia leads the way again. Now they begun an pre-emptive shutdown of Australia’s dirtiest coal plants using direct action.

The government won’t do it, so the people have to.

UPDATE-29 arrested in total.  Most on the coal piles and four locked onto conveyor belt.

From their media release:

“Four people have chained themselves to the main
conveyor belt at Bayswater power station this morning to stop coal
feeding into Australia’s largest coal fired power station. They are
joined by more than thirty other protestors who are occupying the
stations coal stock-piles.

Protestors, from climate action group Rising Tide Newcastle, are
locked onto machinery, stopping the conveyor belts that carry coal to
Bayswater’s furnaces in protest against the Federal Government’s
failure to stop Australia’s greenhouse pollution rising.

Spokesperson, Georgina Woods, said, “Australia’s greenhouse
pollution is still increasing and our addiction to coal-fired power is
the main cause. We are here because every day we hesitate, we are
killing the Great Barrier Reef.”

In 2006/07, Bayswater Power Station created approximately 14
million tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution, making it equal greatest
single source of greenhouse pollution in the country and among the top
100 polluting power stations in the world.

The Federal Government is expected to announce medium term
greenhouse emission reduction targets at the end of the month, but
protestors say that 2020 is too late, and want a commitment that 2010
will be Australia’s “peak emissions” year.

The Bayswater power station near Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter
and the adjacent Liddell power station together supply around 40% of
NSW’s electricity.

The protestors say power stations like Bayswater will need to be
shut down over the next few years: “Where is the plan to phase out
facilities like these? Why are we twiddling our thumbs?”

“The nation and the world are watching and we will not get another
chance. The people that are here today are parents and grandparents,
professionals and tradespeople. We are demanding a commitment from the
Government today: Australia’s greenhouse emissions must start dropping
from 2010, we must do whatever it takes to save the Barrier Reef from
wipe-out and the world from devastating runaway climate change.”

The fight for the climate is far from over; the need for people to
protest our failure to reverse greenhouse pollution is greater than
ever.”

7 Responses to “Rising Tide Blockades Australia’s largest coal plant;29 Arrested”


  1. 1 Calvin Jones Nov 2nd, 2008 at 9:11 am

    It’s not that easy to break into a power plant but the Auzies seem to manage it, good work guys. I`ve a feeling we might have some similar images to share with you from the UK soon!

  2. 2 Alex Tinker Nov 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am

    My thanks and appreciation go out to all those arrested and everyone who supported this action. Every time I read a story like this I get a touch more hopeful that we really can survive this mess.

    Well done.

  3. 3 deirdre Nov 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    yay!

  4. 4 Originalight Sep 14th, 2009 at 5:06 am

    It’s awesome theres so many people out there making moves, waves, and chains, to call to awareness this awesome opportunity to polish our hearts! Mine goes out to you, goodbrothers’n'sisters!

  5. 5 DeepBlue Jun 10th, 2010 at 11:42 pm

    My thanks and appreciation go out to all those arrested and everyone who supported this action. Every time I read a story like this I get a touch more hopeful that we really can survive this mess.

  1. 1 Australia Rising « It’s Getting Hot In Here Trackback on Nov 7th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
  2. 2 The Understory » Australia Rising Trackback on Nov 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
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About


Scott Parkin is a Senior Campaigner with Rainforest Action Network and organizes with Rising Tide North America. He has worked on a variety of campaigns around climate change, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mountaintop removal, labor issues and anti-corporate globalization. Originally from Texas, he now lives in San Francisco.

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