Fifteen people from the Galilee Blockade organised a theatrical action on July 2 inside the foyer of the Barangaroo building where Marsh Insurance brokers has its head office.
The mime involved “Adani” holding a bunch of roses and, on one knee, imploring insurance brokers “Liberty Mutual”, “Talanx”, “HDI Global SE” and “XL Australia” to cover their coal mine in Central Queensland. All four rejected the roses, brandishing their Stop Adani signs. Another person, however, representing an unknown insurance company, accepted it.
A concerned staff member of Marsh Brokers had recently leaked the details of the four mentioned insurance companies, which had provided cover to the coal mine. Public pressure forced all four to dump Adani within 48 hours of each other.
Marsh Brokers have not revealed which other insurance companies it has contracted to replace them. The Adani mine cannot proceed without insurance cover. Galilee Blockade is asking anyone who can, to release the names of new insurers to Galilee Blockade.
At the recent Marsh International annual general meeting in New York, Marsh released a new, but still inadequate, position on climate change. Its publicly-stated ethical values clash with acting as an insurance broker for Adani.
Most insurance companies know the Adani Carmichael mine is a high-risk venture, in which they could lose millions of dollars. Pressure on Marsh Brokers will continue until it breaks off from Adani.