The Wilderness Society released the statement below on May 15.
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Rallies will be held around the country tomorrow (Wednesday, May 16) to protest the outrageous use of police resources to crush community opposition to the proposed James Price Point gas industrial complex in Western Australia’s Kimberley.
Many of the Browse Basin joint-venture partners — Woodside, BHP Billiton, BP, Shell, Chevron, Shell, Mitsubishi and Mitsui — would prefer to process the gas elsewhere, prompting Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett last week to threaten legislation to force them to build a gas industrial complex at James Price Point on the pristine Kimberley coast.
Barnett has now turned his attention on the local Broome community by reportedly sending 250 police to the small town — the biggest police deployment to crush a regional community protest since 276 troopers were sent to the Eureka Stockade.
“Premier Colin Barnett has sent hundreds of police officers to crush the Broome locals who oppose Australia’s biggest industrial development being built on their doorstep,” said Wilderness Society Kimberley Campaign Manager Glen Klatovsky.
“This project has no environmental approvals or social licence, and this police action alone will cost Western Australian taxpayers $1 million.
“The Premier has turned Western Australia into a police state and he is making Woodside, BP, BHP Billiton, Shell, Chevron, Mitsubishi and Mitsui complicit in his actions.
“The joint venture partners have recently experienced the Premier’s heavy-handed tactics so they need to speak out publicly now if they don’t want to be tainted by this outrageous use of force by a Premier against the people he is supposed to represent.
“The Broome community has already been traumatised enough last year by the police’s actions and they need to know they have the support of Australians all around the country.”
Protest details:
PERTH: Woodside head office. 240 St Georges Terrace, noon (WA time).
MELBOURNE: BHP Billiton Global Headquarters, 180 Lonsdale Street, 5.15pm.
ADELAIDE: Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, 5pm (SA time).
SYDNEY: Chevron head office (Caltex Australia), 2 Market Street, 5.15pm.
BRISBANE: BHP Billiton office, 71 Eagle Street, noon.
