WA gov’t sends biggest regional police deployment since Eureka Stockade to crush Kimberley gas protests

The Wilderness Society released the statement below on May 14.

• 250 police sent to Broome; 276 to Eureka Stockade.

• Joint venture partners must speak out or be tainted by Premier’s actions.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has sent 250 police officers to Broome to crush community opposition to the proposed gas industrial complex at James Price Point, not far off the 276 police and soldiers sent to the Eureka Stockade to crush the miners.

“This could be the biggest police deployment to crush a regional community protest since the Eureka Stockade,” said Wilderness Society National Director Lyndon Schneiders.

“Premier Colin Barnett has sent 250 police officers to crush the Broome locals who oppose Australia’s biggest industrial development being built on their doorstep. This project has no environmental approvals or social licence.

“The Premier has turned Western Australia into a police state and the Browse joint venture partners — Woodside, BP, BHP Billiton, Shell, Chevron, Mitsubishi and Mitsui — are complicit in this.

“The joint venture partners have recently experienced the Premier’s heavy handed tactics in threatening legislation to force them to build the project at James Price Point and now the Premier has turned his attention on a proud small community.

“If the joint venture partners don’t want to be tainted by this horrendous misuse of power, they must speak out publicly against this outrageous use of force by a Premier against the people he is supposed to represent.

“The Broome Community has already been traumatised enough last year by the police’s actions when many locals, including elderly indigenous people, were dragged away and locked up.”

Green Left Weekly