The ABC has defended the actions of a crew from Four Corners who filmed a planned protest at the Western Australian home of Woodside’s CEO, after the state’s premier hit out at the public broadcaster.
The Disrupt Burrup Hub activists have been heavily criticised for targeting the home of Meg O’Neill on Tuesday, but reject suggestions they had been attempting to threaten the chief executive.
The activists are protesting against the ongoing development of the Burrup peninsula, and claim Woodside has destroyed thousands of sacred rock art sites as part of the development of a large-scale gas development know as the Burrup Hub.
The ABC has also come under fire, as it had a reporter and crew from the Four Corners program at the scene as protesters arrived. Disrupt Burrup Hub has released images of the crew standing outside O’Neill’s home.
O’Neill said in a statement that the protest “was designed to threaten me, my partner and our daughter in our home.
“Such acts by extremists should be condemned by anyone who respects the law and believes people should be safe to go about their business at home and at work.”
The WA premier, Roger Cook, alleged the ABC “clearly had prior notice and understood that these people were going to the CEO’s house, her personal home, to take this action, so I’ll be seeking answers”.
“I’ll be contacting senior management to understand what it is that they knew and why they didn’t take action to inform the police before this activity took place,” Cook said.
The West Australian said on its front page on Wednesday that the ABC was “under fire over links to [the] sickening attack”.
An ABC spokesperson defended the conduct of its reporter and crew.
They said that a Four Corners team had attended the protest to gather material for a potential report later this year. They had received a tip to go to an address “just prior” to the action occurring and had no knowledge of what was there, including that it was a person’s house.
“When they arrived the police were already in attendance, in numbers.
“The ABC team remained on public land observing what was happening and getting some vision, as journalists do. They at no time went on to private property or had any involvement in what was happening.
“The ABC team in no way colluded with the activists.”
Environmental activists involved in the protest said they suspected West Australian police were using sophisticated surveillance techniques, including listening devices, to track their activities, after the protest was thwarted by police.
“It is deeply troubling that a dozen WA police officers were present ahead of an unpublicised, peaceful climate protest. Are they spying on protesters?” the spokesperson said.
“While Disrupt Burrup Hub was prevented from carrying out a peaceful action today by heavy-handed, pre-emptive policing, it was not a failure. In fact, it shows just how successful our campaign is – how big a threat it poses to Woodside, and how desperate they are to maintain the status quo.”
WA police were approached for comment and said: “The City Beach matter is progressing before the courts, any further information regarding this case will become available as part of that process.”
Earlier they confirmed that police attended a home in City Beach about 6.45am on Tuesday and arrested three people.
The protest came a day after a magistrate rejected a police application for an order to stop some of the group’s members from communicating while on bail for charges related to other protests that targeted Woodside.
The Burrup peninsula, located in the Pilbara region and known as Murujuga to traditional owners, contains the world’s largest and oldest collection of petroglyphs.
Disrupt Burrup Hub claims Woodside’s operations in the area and its proposed expansion are the biggest new fossil fuel project in the country and could produce billion of tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2070. It has carried out a series of actions against Woodside this year.
Woodside responded last week through its lawyers, who sent a letter to a Disrupt Burrup Hub campaigner and said the company wants to start civil court action against members of the group.
Allens law firm said that Woodside had suffered lost productivity and other damage as a result of the group’s activities.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report.
