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There have been multiple disruptions along rail lines in the Hunter region of New South Wales this week due to ongoing anti-coal protests.
Key points:
- Trains have been halted on the Hunter rail line as part of ongoing anti-coal protests
- One protester was sitting on top of a 9m pole on a rail bridge at Branxton
- NSW Police Minister told Nine Radio the protesters were selfish and wasting police resources
Trains were stopped between Scone and Maitland on the Hunter Line this morning for at least seven hours, with protesters on the tracks at Branxton.
A statement from Blockade Australia said a protester was sitting on top of a 9-metre pole on a rail bridge, obstructing the rail line that leads to the Port of Newcastle.
It is the third time the port has been targeted by protesters this week.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley told Nine Radio the behaviour was nonsense.
"Their actions do absolutely nothing for the environment or climate change," she said.
"All they're doing is bringing attention to themselves and it's very, very dangerous."
The minister said the protesters would be charged.
Ms Catley asked police to approach social media companies where protests are being live-streamed to have them removed.
"They've got an audience of very few people, but we need to cut that audience off completely," she said.
Protester granted bail
A woman charged with obstructing a train and entering enclosed lands at the Port of Newcastle earlier this week has been granted bail.
Claudia Hannigan, 22, was arrested on Monday after allegedly suspending herself above a rail bridge for over three hours.
In Newcastle Local Court yesterday, the prosecutor alleged Ms Hannigan glued her hands onto a locking device and couldn't be removed for several hours, placing several officers at "extreme risk".
The court heard Ms Hannigan was on a nine-month good behaviour bond, due to expire this month.
She was granted bail under strict conditions, including living at a Leichhardt address, not travelling north of Gosford unless attending court or legal appointments, and not entering a rail corridor unless as a fare-paying passenger.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old Canberra woman will appear in court today following an unauthorised protest at Kooragang on Tuesday night, also at the Port of Newcastle.
Police allege the woman scaled a coal loader and glued herself to a railing.
Blockade Australia disruptions have also blocked ports in Melbourne and Brisbane this week.
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