Released after a court heard she was initially imprisoned on false information provided by the NSW police, Coco’s arrest drew condemnation from human rights groups and opponents of tough protest laws.
The NSW Supreme Court struck down part of the anti-protest laws in December 2023, ruling that criminalising activities that cause partial closures or redirections around ports and train stations was constitutionally invalid.
Serial protester Deanna “Violet” Maree Coco.Credit: James Brickwood
In Melbourne, Tuesday’s protest created delays for city-bound commuters and continued throughout the morning. Traffic slowed down on a stretch of the Princes Freeway between the bridge to Point Cook Road, and along the Western Freeway on the M80 Ring Road.
One driver reported taking two hours to travel just 13 kilometres during the West Gate blockage.
The demonstration comes as political leaders from across Asia converge on Melbourne for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, which began this week. The summit includes a Climate and Clean Energy Transition Forum, where delegates will focus on an accelerated clean energy transition.
An Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman said the timeline and scale of proposed measures did not come close to the speed and level required.
The truck was used to block three lanes of traffic during Tuesday’s peak hour.Credit: Nine News
Australia must show leadership at the ASEAN summit by declaring a climate and ecological emergency and calling on other ASEAN leaders to do the same, she said.
She added that the protest was ahead of a planned period of disruptive actions by the group and other demonstrators, who are to hold Rebel for Life demonstrations over three days beginning on March 13, calling on the government to declare a climate emergency.
The disruptions later this month will mimic protests the group organised in December, including a slow march that stopped traffic in the CBD, where multiple protesters were arrested.
Opposition Senator Simon Birmingham called the protests “pointless” and “bordering on counterproductive”.
“It’s thoughtless for the thousands and thousands of Victorians that it impacts and it’s pointless because it’s not going to have an impact on policies of South-East Asian nation leaders who are here, or frankly of Australia,” he told ABC radio.
“It is going to – in the counterproductive sense – just drive further divisiveness of people who see protest like this and think of it as an extremist action, rather than an important serious mainstream policy consideration.”
Birmingham said he had previously acknowledged the Coalition “had problems” regarding climate policy during its time in power, but Australia’s emissions still trended down during that period.
“We did oversee a period of significant investment in clean energy, of significant reduction in Australia’s emissions and they were important achievements, but of course, there is much more to be done to achieve net zero,” he said.
“We are having tough decisions and discussions within the Liberal and National parties at present about how you track the pathway to net zero, including previously unspoken topics in Australia like the questions around nuclear energy.”
Protester Brad Homewood said talking about regional security and defence alliances with Australia’s Asian neighbours was meaningless when many of the ASEAN countries wouldn’t survive the impact of climate change.
Loading
The 51-year-old concrete truck driver said expanding Australia’s gas and coal industries was incompatible with the survival of much of South-East Asia.
“The ASEAN climate talks should be seriously addressing the need for urgent, global action to halt the warming and begin the enormous task of climate repair before it’s too late,” he said.
Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter here.
Source Agencies
