May 8 2009
Climate activists have painted black fingerprints on the doors of Federal Climate Change Secretary Greg Combet's office today. BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xstrata, and other coal companies are meeting Combet to lobby for free carbon permits.

Activists occupy the coal yards at Bayswater Power Station: 1st November 2008

• Here is slick image gallery of the protest
• Here is the cluncky version of the image gallery

29 people have been arrested after a climate change protest at Bayswater power station today.

A dozen activists from Newcastle climate action group Rising Tide disrupted Question Time in the Senate on Monday, unfurling a banner and calling on Climate Change Minister Penny Wong to peak carbon emissions by 2010.

Shortly after 2pm, the group unfurled the large banner that they had smuggled into the public gallery, which showed pictures of reefs, forests and ecosystem and the word "UNLESS". A Rising Tide member jumped onto the barrier separating the chamber from the public gallery and began an impassioned plea to Penny Wong.

150 - 200 people protested at Newcastle today against the expansion of the world's biggest coal port. The protest was part of an international day of action demanding urgent action against climate change from the UN climate talks taking place in Bali.

Thankyou to everyone who took part in Saturday's Peoples' Blockade of the World's Biggest Coal Port!

Here are some photos from the day. Here is a slideshow. You might also like to see these, these, these... and these new ones.

Here are a few more photos and some words from one of the blockade particpants.

The protest was a fantastic show of community determination to take action against Australia's biggest contribution to climate change, despite resistance from government and industry. As well as being a powerful and symbolic action, the protest succeeded in disrupting coal exports from Newcastle Harbour.