Newcastle Lord Mayor, and Newcastle Council Support Land Based Protest

13 November 2024

This article has been updated at 12:17pm as the Deputy Lord Mayor has hit back against the Lord Mayor

newy.com.au – The NSW Supreme Court has ruled against Rising Tide’s planned water-based protest in Newcastle Harbour, supporting an application from the police commissioner to prohibit the blockade. Rising Tide’s multi-day “People’s Blockade,” aimed at disrupting vessel traffic to the world’s largest coal port, was deemed a safety risk, with Justice Desmond Fagan citing concerns about managing large groups on the water. Despite assurances from organisers of a peaceful demonstration, the court upheld police concerns over safety and public order.

Newcastle Council, however, has confirmed its support for Rising Tide’s land-based activities at Camp Shortland, following independent legal advice. City of Newcastle’s legal team determined that its authority to grant event permits on council land does not interfere with NSW Police powers to arrest anyone committing an offence. This means the council can permit the event on its land, while police retain the authority to act against any unlawful behaviour.

Following a recent meeting with Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge, Rising Tide organisers assured the council of their commitment to safety, promising to keep participants close to shore and out of the shipping channel. They also committed to discouraging disruptive actions, such as stopping coal trains. “I have today provided my formal support for the Rising Tide event occurring at Camp Shortland. I did however stress my expectation that the event organisers take all reasonable efforts to ensure that any closure of the harbour is for the briefest possible time,” Dr Kerridge said.

However, Dr Kerridge’s support for the event has drawn sharp criticism from Liberal Deputy Lord Mayor Callum Pull. In a public statement, Cr Pull condemned Dr Kerridge’s response as “weak and deserving of condemnation,” stating that Rising Tide protestors “have been nothing but disruptive” by repeatedly stopping coal trains, blocking the harbour, and breaking the law on multiple occasions.

Cr Pull aligned with NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley, who recently called the protestors’ behaviour “absolutely selfish” for endangering police and emergency workers. “It is absolutely selfish of people to be putting our emergency service workers, particularly our police lives, at risk, all because they want to have a Facebook post,” Cr Pull quoted Catley as saying. “This absolutely is selfish,” he added. “These people disrupt our local economy and force the closure of train lines.”

He further criticised protest groups like Rising Tide for diverting police resources from “serious and important work,” while also putting officers at risk. Cr Pull argued that the organisers’ claim to discourage attendees from breaking the law has “had no impact on the radicals who continually stop trains and block the harbour.”

“City of Newcastle and the Lord Mayor should not in any way be supporting this protest,” Cr Pull said. “For the Lord Mayor to support such an action is unacceptable. By supporting this action against police advice, the Lord Mayor must accept full responsibility for their actions. The Council should not be supporting this behaviour, and the Lord Mayor’s weak, each-way response trying to portray these people as sensible deserves condemnation.”

The community response remains mixed, however the council received 123 submissions on Rising Tide’s request to hold the event at Camp Shortland, nearly 75% of which were in favour.