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Anti-Adani mine protesters disrupt Westpac's 200th birthday celebrations

Lucy Battersby
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Westpac's 200th birthday party was targeted by climate change and anti-coal protesters seeking to pressure the bank into guaranteeing it will not fund the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland. 

Despite Westpac currently having no plans to fund the project, organisers from Stop Adani Sydney gathered protesters outside the driveway to Carriageworks, Eveleigh, to chant "Stop Adani" at cars dropping off guests to the invite-only event. Organisers claim hundreds of protesters turned up. 

Several managed to enter the party through an open door and one who climbed scaffolding was later arrested for trespassing.  Another took the microphone and had to be escorted off stage. 

The bank has not been asked by the Adani Group or any of its associated companies to fund the mine, a spokesman said, but will not specifically rule out funding the project. 

"Our approach to any project that has environmental and other issues is that we review those projects against our own internal controls, which include the Equator Principles," spokesman David Lording said on Sunday. 

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"We have not been asked to fund Adani," he said, adding the bank is not a big lender to the natural resources industry.

Meanwhile Shaun Murray, who was arrested after he chained himself by the neck to Carriageworks' scaffolding, said he spend about 90 minutes sitting above the party until he was eventually pulled down by police. During that time he said he was "looking for an opportunity to talk to the attendees and the CEO about why I was there." 

At one point Westpac chief executive Brian Hartzer did take the stage to tell guests Westpac has not been asked to fund the mine. But Mr Murray says it is "unconscionable" that Westpac has left open the possibility it could fund the project in future. 

Eventually Westpac closed down the evening's program at about 11.30pm. 

"I think the disruption that I caused pales in significance compared to the disruption the Adani Mine would cause to our climate, communities and the Great Barrier Reef," Mr Murray told Fairfax Media on Sunday. 

Protesters are threatening more disruption unless they get a specific guarantee about Adani. 

"Westpac is the only [bank] that has not distanced itself from the project," 350.org spokeswoman, Charlie Wood, told Fairfax Media. Her group wants a statement from Westpac that it will not fund new coal projects of thermal coal projects. 

"What we are looking for is a statement that the bank will not fund Adani into the future. The NAB has said they will not fund Adani, along with 13 other banks worldwide." 

Ms Wood said money is one of the final hurdles Adani needs to clear before it can start building Australia's largest thermal coal mine in the Galilee basin in central Queensland. The $16.5 billion mine already has state government and environmental approval. The coal will be sent via Abbot Point to India to be burned for electricity. 

Joseph Sikulu from Stop Adani Sydney said protests will continue across the country "until we get a proper answer". 

 

Activists also targeted a Westpac branch in Bendigo on Saturday and eventually entered the bank. Police were called, but the protesters dispersed voluntarily.  

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