Former Wollongong City councillor Cath Blakey found herself in police custody over the weekend after participating in a major environmental protest at Newcastle harbour. The incident occurred during a large-scale demonstration organised by the climate group Rising Tide.
People's Blockade Disrupts Coal Shipments
The protest, dubbed a 'people's blockade,' saw activists take to the water in kayaks with the intention of disrupting coal ship movements through the critical export hub. Over the course of the weekend, the demonstration achieved its goal of causing significant delays to coal vessel traffic.
More than 140 protesters were arrested during the two-day action, including the former Greens councillor Ms Blakey. Police confirmed she was charged under section 18b of the Marine Safety Act, which establishes an exclusion zone within the harbour boundaries.
Personal Climate Experiences Drive Protest Action
Ms Blakey revealed she was one of approximately fifty Wollongong residents who made the journey to Newcastle to participate in the direct action. She explained that her decision to kayak into the active shipping channel was not made lightly.
"The recent National Climate Risk Assessment shows that keeping coal in the ground matters when it comes to Australian livelihoods and our ecosystems," Ms Blakey stated following her release.
The former councillor pointed to personal experiences with climate impacts as driving her participation. "I've seen the climate impacts first-hand. It has been six years since Wollongong declared a climate emergency. Six years since my mother-in-law's house was burnt when Gondawannan rainforest burnt in the unprecedented bushfires of 2019."
While acknowledging some progress in emissions reduction, Ms Blakey expressed disappointment that both federal and state Labor governments continue to approve new coal and gas mines and have failed to include a climate trigger in recent environmental law reforms.
Protest Operations and Police Response
The Rising Tide protest managed to disrupt scheduled coal ship movements across the weekend, though several vessels eventually made it through the harbour. The Cemtex Leader coal ship, delayed on Saturday, successfully arrived on Sunday. Another vessel, the Ragnar coal ship, had its planned Sunday arrival aborted and was rescheduled for Monday.
New South Wales police reported witnessing "several unsafe practices" on the water during the protest operations. Among the 141 arrests of kayakers and swimmers was a separate incident involving a woman operating a boat.
Police allege this boat collided with a police jet-ski just after 10am on Sunday. Officers stated they attempted to stop the vessel after it allegedly entered the exclusion zone. When the boat reportedly failed to stop as directed, police pursued it on a jet-ski east along Newcastle Harbour.
The boat allegedly collided with the police jet-ski a short time later, resulting in the arrest of the woman who was the sole occupant. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the collision.
