By Peter Milne
Australia’s largest oil and gas company Woodside is threatening to sue two climate protesters for financial loss after one allegedly released a “stench” gas inside its Perth headquarters, forcing the evacuation of all staff.
Kristen Morrissey, a member of the Disrupt Burrup Hub protest group, is accused of releasing a stink bomb at the base of Woodside’s 32-storey office in Perth on June 1, which was followed by an evacuation of about 1500 workers.
Disrupt Burrup Hub protester Kristen Morrissey outside Woodside’s headquarters on June 1.Credit: Jesinta Burton
Four weeks later, lawyers for Woodside sent letters to Morrissey and another Disrupt Burrup Hub protester, Joana Partyka, who was not at Woodside’s premises on June 1, threatening to sue both women.
The letter from Allens partners Philip Blaxill and Richard Lilly to Partyka demanded she hand over documents that could identify others involved in planning the incident, so they could also be sued.
Partyka said in a statement the letter was an attempt to threaten and intimidate peaceful climate campaigners.
“This isn’t really about some cleaning costs at Woodside headquarters – it’s about brand damage to Woodside who have lost their social licence to operate the Burrup Hub,” she said.
“This legal threat is completely unprecedented and shows that the Disrupt Burrup Hub campaign is working.”
The letter, seen by this masthead, said the aim of the stench was to “shut down business as usual for Woodside” and that it “occurred against a background of multiple protest actions carried out by persons associated with the ‘Disrupt Burrup Hub’ group, including you, with the clear intention of causing Woodside financial harm”.
The Burrup Hub is a group of gas developments on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region that will use gas from offshore fields operated by Woodside.
Two Burrup Hub projects are under way: Woodside’s $18 billion development of the Scarborough field to feed an expanded Pluto export gas plant on the Peninsula, and private firm Perdaman’s nearby urea plant that will use gas from Scarborough.
The $72 billion company also plans to develop the CO2-rich Browse fields and pipe the gas 1000 kilometres to the peninsula to be processed at its North West Shelf gas export plant that it wants to operate until 2070.
The developments are controversial due to the greenhouse emissions from the facilities themselves and from the gas burnt by Woodside’s customers. There are also concerns that industrial pollution is damaging the more than one million World Heritage-nominated ancient rock engravings on the peninsula the traditional custodians call Murujuga.
On Monday, lawyers for both protesters told Woodside they would not comply with its request. The letter from Partyka’s lawyers, the Environmental Defenders Office, also said they did not consider Woodside had reasonable grounds for requesting the information.
A Woodside spokeswoman said individuals have been charged with criminal offences concerning the incident at its headquarters.
“Woodside does not comment on matters that are before the courts,” she said.
EDO chief executive David Morris said the firm was deeply apprehensive about corporations targeting people who participated in protests, including those calling for stronger action on the climate crisis.
Disrupt Burrup Hub protesters Kristen Morrissey and Joana Partyka.Credit: Jesinta Burton
“Corporations would do well to consider the impact their actions have on the very foundations of open and democratic society,” he said.
“We see a trend in corporations attempting to identify, surveil, and selectively target protesters — actions that potentially infringe their basic rights.”
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