Hundreds take to water to protest coal exports at Newcastle port as Australia faces climate scrutiny

详细摘要

Protestors called for coal exports from Newcastle to end by 2030 and for workers to be supported in moving to other industries

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More than 600 climate protesters have taken to the water at one of the world's biggest coal-export ports, after an Australian court rejected a police attempt to stop their demonstration.

Hundreds of kayakers and other small vessels gathered in Newcastle Harbour in New South Wales on Saturday, while hundreds more joined the protest from the shore. The hour-long demonstration, organised by climate campaign group Rising Tide, called for an end to coal exports and greater action on climate change.

The protest went ahead after the Supreme Court of New South Wales rejected a police application to stop the gathering, with Justice Edward Muston ruling on Friday that the “public interest in the facilitation of political expression through assembly” outweighed the police objections, according to ABC News.

Police had argued that the demonstration could put participants at risk, particularly if kayaks collided or capsized. Rising Tide said it had made safety arrangements, including requiring mandatory life jackets and deploying a team to assist participants on the water.

Rising Tide organiser Anne Hodgson told the court the event would be family-friendly and that there would be no civil disobedience.

The court allowed the event to proceed, with a limit of 785 vessels. Shipping movements through the port were suspended between 10am and 2pm on Saturday.

Rising Tide spokesperson Joe Hallenstein used the demonstration to criticise Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, who was attending the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye alongside climate change minister Chris Bowen.

“[Albanese] is over in Türkiye telling the world that Australia is a leader in climate action, when the opposite is true,” Hallenstein told ABC Newcastle.

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