A group of activists say the mining contractor Downer Group is the
“prime target” of a civil disruption campaign to force it to walk away
from a $2bn deal to build and run Adani’s proposed Queensland coalmine.
Galilee Blockade organisers warn members of their network will occupy work sites, chain themselves to machinery and clog phone lines, among other actions that will cost Downer money until it exits a non-binding contract over the contentious Carmichael site .
The protest group, which differentiates itself from a growing number of anti-Adani campaigns by vowing to engage in “direct action” that will result in mass arrests, considers that the size and scope of Downer’s operations make it especially vulnerable.
It has compiled a 19-page dossier detailing 350 Downer sites that may be targeted, as part of an attempt to stop a mine that has mixed support among the Australian public but is backed by the federal and Queensland governments.
Galilee Blockade, which claims it has more than 9,000 people who have volunteered for “local direct action”, has already received legal warnings from Adani over its plans to infiltrate the miner’s workforce with informants.
“Things we plan to do are illegal and we plan to get arrested over
and over again because we’re a civil resistance campaign,” said the
group’s strategist, Ben Pennings.
“This is not about sending Downer broke or any workers losing their jobs. We want this to be a very strong incentive for them not to follow through with their Adani contract.
“We’re hoping the court cases [against the mine] win and we can all pack up and go home. Otherwise civil resistance is all we’ve got left and we’re convinced we’re going to win because enough people care about it and we’re big enough.”
The campaign group’s pledge comes after the first arrests involving protests against Adani’s mining plans in Queensland on Thursday.
Demonstrators occupied the Brisbane headquarters of Aurizon, demanding it drop its bid for a $1.25bn commonwealth loan to build a rail line opening up coal exports from the Galilee basin. Five people, including “Grandparents for the Galilee” protesters John and Rae Sheridan, were charged with trespass.
Pennings said Downer’s pivotal role in the Adani project, which would range from mine drilling and blasting to loading and hauling coal and waste, was not widely known in the environment movement or among the broader public.
“They’ve got no idea when and where we’re coming because they’ve got hundreds and hundreds of sites. We could be in one state one week and another state another week.”
Galilee Blockade organisers warn members of their network will occupy work sites, chain themselves to machinery and clog phone lines, among other actions that will cost Downer money until it exits a non-binding contract over the contentious Carmichael site .
The protest group, which differentiates itself from a growing number of anti-Adani campaigns by vowing to engage in “direct action” that will result in mass arrests, considers that the size and scope of Downer’s operations make it especially vulnerable.
It has compiled a 19-page dossier detailing 350 Downer sites that may be targeted, as part of an attempt to stop a mine that has mixed support among the Australian public but is backed by the federal and Queensland governments.
Galilee Blockade, which claims it has more than 9,000 people who have volunteered for “local direct action”, has already received legal warnings from Adani over its plans to infiltrate the miner’s workforce with informants.
“This is not about sending Downer broke or any workers losing their jobs. We want this to be a very strong incentive for them not to follow through with their Adani contract.
“We’re hoping the court cases [against the mine] win and we can all pack up and go home. Otherwise civil resistance is all we’ve got left and we’re convinced we’re going to win because enough people care about it and we’re big enough.”
The campaign group’s pledge comes after the first arrests involving protests against Adani’s mining plans in Queensland on Thursday.
Demonstrators occupied the Brisbane headquarters of Aurizon, demanding it drop its bid for a $1.25bn commonwealth loan to build a rail line opening up coal exports from the Galilee basin. Five people, including “Grandparents for the Galilee” protesters John and Rae Sheridan, were charged with trespass.
Pennings said Downer’s pivotal role in the Adani project, which would range from mine drilling and blasting to loading and hauling coal and waste, was not widely known in the environment movement or among the broader public.
“They’ve got no idea when and where we’re coming because they’ve got hundreds and hundreds of sites. We could be in one state one week and another state another week.”
Pennings said the group believed it was “very likely” Downer would succumb to pressure over the Adani contract, which would carry over five years according to letters of award signed in 2015.
Adani has most of the government approvals it needs for the project but is due to make an investment decision next month. It is yet to announce whether it has secured finance for a project mooted to cost at least $16bn.
Pennings said Downer, which also worked on roads, the national broadband network, water infrastructure and windfarms, “don’t have to enter into this contract, they’re doing fine without this contract”.
“That’s important because they can pull out easily. But they’re crucial because if they pull out Adani’s got to find another company of a similar size and speciality.
A Downer spokesman said: “We decline to comment at this stage.”
Downer’s chief executive, Grant Fenn, told Fairfax Media the company was “a supporter” of the Adani mine and any issues would be dealt with by Australian courts.
When the letters of award were agreed Fenn hailed the contract as one of the argest of its type signed in Australia in recent years. “We’re very much looking forward to working with Adani at the Carmichael Coal Mine, which is expected to become the largest thermal coal mine in Australia,” he said.
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