Front Line Action on Coal

Breaking: Former DPP solicitor takes her own direct action

April 2, 2014

Sunday 30th March, 2014, Maules Creek

Earlier today, Sydney mother and former DPP solicitor, Marion Rose, chained herself to a water pump in order to slow the ongoing work of Whitehaven Coal Company at Maules Creek, next to the Leard State Forest.

As a former officer of the Court, Ms Rose took the action only after a great deal of study and reflection, saying:

“Now that I no longer work full-time I have had the time to read and think and to ask myself the same question most mums and grand-mothers ask themselves; are my kids and grandkids going to have a better life than me?”

“The heart breaking answer to that is, no. As a result of climate change and the terrible way we are consuming our environment, their lives will be harder and my little one year old grand-daughter’s life will be very much harder.”

“The police may charge me with interfering with mine equipment, but what kind of nation do we live in when mining equipment gets better protection than our kids and grand-kids – who is protecting them and their future,” concluded Ms Rose.

Tomorrow morning the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its Working Group Two report; those findings identified eight potential risks for Australia:

  • The possibility of widespread and permanent damage to coral reef systems, particularly the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo in Western Australia.
  • Some native species could be wiped out.
  • There is the chance of more frequent flooding causing damage to key infrastructure.
  • In some areas, unprecedented rising sea levels could inundate low-lying areas.
  • In other areas, bushfires could result in significant economic losses.
  • More frequent heatwaves and temperatures may lead to increased morbidity among the elderly.
  • Those same rising temperatures could put constraints on water resources.
  • Farmers could face significant drops in agriculture – especially in the Murray-Darling area.

“It is not possible to both take climate change seriously and continue to dig new coal mines in this country, they are now mutually exclusive activities” said Julie Macken, Leard Forest Alliance.”

UPDATE: Marion Rose was removed and arrest by police, but later released without charge.