A climate change protester has spray-painted the Woodside Energy logo onto the front doors of Western Australia (WA) parliament house to criticise the government’s investment in fossil fuels.
The protest action on Tuesday was part of a campaign by WA-based climate change group Disrupt Burrup Hub. The group targets Burrup Hub, which it described as Australia’s biggest fossil fuel project, owned by Woodside Energy, one of the country’s largest independent energy companies.
It comes a month after the group defaced the Woodside logo onto the Art Gallery of Western Australia’s most significant and internationally renowned painting, Frederick McCubbin’s Down on his Luck.
Stolarski was charged with one count of criminal damage.
“Our government subsidises Woodside’s Burrup Hub with tax breaks in exchange for the largest corporate donations in the country,” Stolarski said.
“While the PM and premier parade around Port Hedland, the Burrup Hub down the road is spewing out more emissions than any other project in the country.”
Group Demands the McGowan Government Shut Down Coal and Gas
The group is demanding the government shut down the coal and gas industry in Murujuga at the Burrup Peninsula in WA’s North West, alleging that the mining activities were threatening 50,000-year-old Indigenous rock art in the Pilbara.Fellow protester Joana Partyka defended the group’s vandalising action, saying, “revolutionary changes come from people pushing the boundaries of the law.”
“Parliament House was targeted because Woodside is one of the government’s biggest sponsors so our intention was to put their logo on the front doors as Woodside puts their logo on every entity they sponsor, so why not Parliament House?” Joanna told Perth’s radio 6PR.
A Woodside spokesperson said the company “respects people’s rights to protest lawfully and supports constructive engagement on all issues of importance to the communities where we live and work.”
WA Premier Mark McGowan said damaging property was unacceptable and a waste of taxpayer money.
Previous Protests
This is the third protest action within two months from Disrupt Burrup Hub.On Feb. 13, musician Trent Rojahn used a fire extinguisher to paint the words “Disrupt Burrup Hub” across the glass facade of the Woodside building in Perth’s CBD.
In Jan. 19, ceramic artist Joana Partyka sprayed painting the Woodside Energy logo—using a stencil—onto Fredrick McCubbin’s “Down on His Luck” which has been part of the Art Gallery of Western Australia since 1896.
Partyka then appeared to glue her hand to the wall beside the $3 million (US$2.07 million) painting.
“Woodside likes to slap their logo on everything while they spray their toxic emissions all over sacred rock art,” she said.
“We must stop any more industry on the Burrup, or soon there will be no art left.”
The 37-year-old was fined $2,637 and ordered to pay $4821.08 in compensation to the gallery when she appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Feb. 10.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine, who is also heavily involved in the arts, said the two individuals should have used the proper channels.
“If all you do is ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ then all you end up with is a lot of people with no teeth and eyes. We’ve got to live by the rule of the law,” he told The Epoch Times.
“There’s laws in regard to heritage and art; they should have done that. You can’t go around being vigilantes and destroying things.”
