In a formidable show of strength, over 100 people, including 92-year-old WWII veteran Bill Ryan, have staged a mass protest at the site of Whitehaven Coal’s controversial $767 million Maules Creek mine project. A group of over 50 entering a newly cleared area of the forest to plant native tree seedlings. It comes as a protester passes their 48th hour in the canopy of a tree in an area earmarked for clearing. Protesters are demanding that whilst there is a legal action in progress, all clearing must immediately halt.

Late on Friday The Maules Creek Community Council filed for an interlocutory legal injunction against the company’s bulldozing of forest in winter, given the vulnerability of animals in winter dormancy. Until just two weeks before clearing began, the company’s Biodiversity Management Plan had not allowed for clearing at this time of year.

Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson, Helen War, said “Whitehaven Coal appear to be in breach of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. Why must ordinary citizens have to go to such lengths to halt this seemingly unlawful clearing? Minister Pru Goward should never have allowed this to begin in the first place.

“It’s dire that we must do the job of the government to protect this precious forest, but while trees are falling, we won’t be idle. We already know the age of coal is over; it will be a national shame if Leard Forest is floored in the meantime.”

Over 180 people have now been arrested in the Leard Forest and surrounding mines since January this year.

Update 8am: Coal Trucks being blocked at Idemitsu’s Boggabri mine – Idemitsu recently admitted involvement in sending spies in to the LeardBlockade camp. Whitehaven Coal and Idemitsu are building a joint rail line to service both the Boggabri and Maules Creek mines. The Boggabri mine is set to expand drastically, which will lead to further clearing of the Leard State Forest.

Update 8:30am: Police have arrived on site in the Forest. Our tree planters are doing the job of Planning Minister Pru Goward’s department and are facing arrest to stop Whitehaven Coal’s ‘unlawful’ clearing.

Further Information:
Helen War
Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson
0431 930 428

The Leard Forest Alliance says Whitehaven Coal can expect more protests over the long weekend if it does not withdraw from clearing Leard State Forest now that legal action has been launched against the operation. It comes as 36 year-old Sakyo Noda maintains his treetop vigil in the canopy of the forest, suspended now for 32 hours and counting in an area marked for imminent clearing by bulldozers.

Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson, Helen War, said, “The injunction lodged by Maules Creek Community Council yesterday is a vindication of protests that have plagued Whitehaven over the last two weeks. They should never have been clearing in the forest in late autumn and winter and if there was any integrity to the operation, they would cease all clearing pending the outcome of the case.

“The bulldozing happening in Leard forest right now is unlawful: the Leard Forest Alliance is defending and upholding the law by stopping Whitehaven’s destructive machines.”

The Leard State Forest has been the setting for dramatic protests over the last fortnight, as protesters try to halt the clearing of the forest during winter, when many of the wildlife species in the forest are in torpor or hibernating.

Ms War added, “Now that this court action has been lodged, we are calling on Whitehaven to stop what we consider to be unlawful clearing in very precious forest.

“The best thing would be for them to stop now, but if they refuse, then we know there will be further protest action over the weekend, to protect what’s left and uphold the law.”

Further comment: Helen War: 0431 930 428 Twitter updates @FLACCoal and #LeardBlockade

Protest against winter forest clearing at Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek mine shows no sign of slowing as once again a protester takes to the trees. A 36yo man has occupied an area of the forest by suspending himself from a tree to prevent clearing in the Leard State Forest, the habitat of many species who go into a winter dormancy.

Sakyo Noda, a Japanese rope access technician, has visited the forest many times before and expressed concern about the destruction, “The Leard State Forest winter clearing is an outrage. Japanese companies have a stake in Whitehaven’s Maules Creek project, and I feel that it is my responsibility to help the locals here, and take action to save the Leard.”

Japanese corporations, J Power and Itochu, are joint owners of the Maules Creek mine, holding 10% and 15% stakes. Neighbouring mine operator, Japanese based Idemitsu, this week admitted to sending spies into the protest camp.

On Wednesday, NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes said his department doesn’t have the power to impose conditions on Whitehaven Coal’s logging plans in the Leard, laying the responsibility at the feet of Planning Minister, Pru Goward.

“Minister Goward is MIA on the Leard. It is time for this government to stop passing the buck and for someone to finally stand up and take responsibility.” Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson Helen War said.

“While the minister sits fiddling the trees are falling. Goward must halt this slaughter now”

The Leard State Forest is the largest remaining remnant of bushland left on the Liverpool Plains comprising habitat for vulnerable and threatened species including koalas, Corben’s long-eared bat and the turquoise parrot.

Further Comment:
Helen War
Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson
0431 930 428

 

Whitehaven Coal’s contentious winter clearing has once again been stopped today on World Environment Day, by two protesters who have attached themselves to machinery used to demolish the forest. The activists are Kwame Tsey, a 32-year-old small business owner and David Gallichan, a 43-year-old environmental scientist.

Whitehaven successfully sought an amendment to its Biodiversity Management Plan in May, which now allows the company to bulldoze forest throughout winter. Before this amendment the company was barred during this time, as many species which inhabit the forest will be in hibernation or torpor and thus vulnerable to injury or death from bulldozers.

“The winter clearing could not be a more horrible thing. It’s a time when animals are defenceless. Enough is enough. It’s time we preserve what is all of ours, instead of destroy it to line the pockets of a greedy few,” said Mr Tsey.

The winter clearing has sparked widespread outrage and drawn expressions of concern from the state government, with hundreds of people marching the streets of Sydney yesterday to condemn the destruction. The protesters have put out a call to their supporters around the country, vowing to fight the winter clearing until it’s halted. Numerous people have already poured in to join the protests, with more on the way.

There have been 171 arrests in the Leard State Forest and surrounding mines since January.
“It’s absurd that the Environment Minister hasn’t acted to stop this. Will he continue to evade duty, even on World Environment Day? It’s outrageous that everyday people have to go to these lengths to do the government’s job for them,” said Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson Helen War.
“This unrest will not cease until those bulldozers are silenced.”

 

For further comment:
Helen War: 0431 930 428

Leard Forest Alliance

Updates: leard.frontlineaction.org/news
Twitter: #leardblockade
Facebook: Front Line Action on Coal

 

 

 

Today’s rally in Sydney yielded the results of a petition: 30,122 people say NO to Whitehaven’s Maules Creek coal mine.

Members of the Leard Blockade today united with concerned citizens in Sydney to rally against continued clearing of the Leard State Forest to make way for the controversial new coal project.

Hundreds of Sydney-siders gathered outside the offices of Planning Minister Pru Goward and Environment Minister Rob Stokes to call on them to halt the clearing, whilst activists blockaded Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri mine. Protestors are outraged that Whitehaven Coal have been granted permission to bulldoze forest during winter months, while many native endangered species are in a kind of hibernation.

Whitehaven were recently granted an extension on their Regional Biodiversity Strategy for the Leard State Forest, only weeks after making crucial changes to their Biodiversity Management Plan. Both sides of politics have expressed concern about the project, with Labor and the Greens calling for a halt to the forest clearing activity during winter months. Just this morning, the Leard Forest Alliance revealed explosive allegations that the changes made to this Management Plan may have been unlawful, with a letter being sent to the ministers from the Maules Creek Community Council.

Leard Forest Alliance Spokesperson, Helen War said, “This circus has got to stop. Whitehaven have continually proven their inability to do their homework and yet they continue to slaughter animals asleep in their homes. It’s time the government stepped up, halted the clearing and held Whitehaven to account for their incompetence.”

“This peaceful, community led campaign will not be deterred by the unethical behaviour of coal corporations. We will fight inch by inch for the Leard, and today’s show of country and city unity only strengthens our resolve to continue this fight. Ministers Pru Goward and Rob Stokes have the power to stop this”

 

Further comment:

Helen War: 0431 930 428
Leard Forest Alliance

Twitter: #leardblockade

A small group of citizen scientists were this morning denied access to Leard State Forest, where they had intended to conduct community audit of clearing of endangered forest types and threatened species habitat that has taken place there during the last week for the Maules Creek Coal mine.

The auditors say they have reason to believe that Whitehaven Coal has not fulfilled the conditions of its Management Plans but that there is no on-ground compliance monitoring being undertaken by the NSW Government.
Fern York, a member of the audit team, said, “All we wanted to do was to walk through the area that has already been cleared, rescue the wounded animals and document any breaches that we found of Whitehaven’s Management Plans.
“Now that we have been turned away, there is no one doing this job: Whitehaven are getting a free ride to damage the forest and even a bunch of harmless citizen scientists have been denied access to hold them to any kind of account.”

Whitehaven Coal were given permission by the NSW Government to undertake major clearing in the forest last month, despite previous conditions stating that clearing should not occur in winter, when many species of wildlife are hibernating. One dead bat has already been found by activists in the forest.
Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson Helen War said, “We should not be having to do this job in the first place. Where is the NSW Government? Why is Whitehaven being let off the hook and wildlife being made to suffer? The conflict that is gripping this forest can be brought to an end as soon as Pru Goward and Rob Stokes intervene to uphold some standards here.”

Update: Protest lock-down continues at Maules Creek mine site, dead bat already found in clearing aftermath

Protesters at the Maules Creek coal mine construction site have maintained their blockade overnight, and the site remains in lock-down as protest action escalates over clearing in Leard State Forest during wildlife hibernation.

This morning, a protester has attached himself to a truck on the main access road to the forest, blocking the road.

Other activists remain in place in the forest, determined to prevent any further clearing after the body of a dead bat was yesterday discovered by one of the protesters.

Leard Forest Alliance spokesperson, Helen War, said, “Winter begins tomorrow, but we have already found evidence that Whitehaven’s clearing in this forest at this time is killing wildlife. This should be all the evidence that the NSW Environment Minister needs to take action to stop this cruel and unnecessary bulldozing in Leard State Forest.

“We will not give up.”

Yesterday afternoon, Greenpeace Australia Pacific joined the blockade with an elaborate tree-top protest in the area threatened with clearing, which has remained in place overnight.

One protester was arrested yesterday afternoon.

Further comment: Helen War 0431 930 428

Follow the action throughout the day via twitter #leardblockade

Video footage of the forest clearing is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1bn9u4xj1ej9x/29th_May_2014

Photos will available throughout the day here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/pncj24l8lvv00/photo

Day 3 of the Leard Red Alert Summary

• 24 year old, Papatya Danis in a tree sit – 6am
• Greenpeace, Leard Forest Alliance partners of , enter the forest to join the Front Line Action on Coal – 1pm

And now…

• 2 Activists lock onto buldozers

Media release

30 May 2014

Blockade halts Whitehaven clearing in Leard forest 

Major tree clearing in Leard State Forest for the Maules Creek Coal mine will be interrupted by protestors for a third day today, as blockade numbers swell in response to Government failure to respond to calls for the clearing to cease.

This morning, a 24-year-old woman is suspended from a platform that is attached by cable to the threatened trees, preventing bulldozers for Whitehaven Coal from clearing part of the forest for an open-cut coal pit.

A management plan for the mine previously prevented clearing at this time of year, but was changed for Whitehaven by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment two weeks ago.

Leard Forest Alliance spokeswoman Roselyn Druce said, “We are here because of a comprehensive failure across Government to uphold any standard of environmental protection in Leard State Forest. Over 150 people have been arrested trying to stop this terrible mine in the last four months because the rules have been bent to breaking point for Whitehaven Coal and we’re fed up with it.”

Yesterday, the NSW Opposition and NSW Greens called for a halt to the clearing during the cold months, to protect wildlife that are in hibernation, and cannot escape. The NSW Environment Minister has not yet acted on calls for Whitehaven cease work in the forest during winter.

Ms Druce said, “Where is Environment Minister Rob Stokes? Will anyone from the Government ever come out here to see the result of their craven decisions to let Whitehaven Coal run amok in this forest?

“Since we put out a call to action at the beginning of this week, many more people have joined this blockade. We want the NSW Government to intervene, but if they won’t, we will fight Whitehaven Coal for every inch of this forest.”

Further information and comment: Ros Druce 0427 826 188

Follow the action throughout the day via twitter #LeardBlockade

Video footage of the forest clearing is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1bn9u4xj1ej9x/29th_May_2014

Photos will available throughout the day here:
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/pjzdyfkt2sc57/30_May_2014