Rising Tide Australia

Media Release

11th August, 2009

Climate change protesters disrupted a speech by Rio Tinto Coal Managing Director Bill Champion in Newcastle today.

Half a dozen protesters from Rising Tide Newcastle were removed from the premises by police after arriving at the speech with banners and a megaphone.

Spokesperson for Rising Tide Newcastle, Steve Phillips, said: "The social licence of the coal industry has been withdrawn. The coal industry, led by Rio Tinto, is destroying the health of communities in the Hunter, destroying the land and the waterways of our region. Through climate change, the coal industry is destroying the health of all people and ecosystems around the world.

"Last week, representatives of Pacific Island nations were in Australia pleading for meaningful cuts to greenhouse pollution. In the Pacific, communities are already being forced to flee their homelands due to rising sea levels and other impacts of climate change.

"Australia contributes significantly to this problem through our massive coal industry. For us to be rapidly expanding our coal industry in this time of climate crisis is a slap in the face to our Pacific neighbours. It is a death sentence for communities around the world already feeling the impacts of climate change."

Bill Champion was expected to use his speech to support the Rudd Government's proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

"A Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme that allows the coal industry to actually expand is a failure. If we are serious about avoiding catastrophic climate change, we will immediately stop the expansion of the coal industry, and begin the urgent transition to sustainable and renewable alternatives."