Science/Environment Woodside, Government influence and virtue signalling

Sep 21, 2009
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https://www.watoday.com.au/national...omes-over-chalk-graffiti-20210820-p58kn0.html - 20/08/21
The homes of six West Australian climate activists have been raided by police amid allegations they graffitied a Perth CBD bridge with chalk paint during a protest against oil and gas giant Woodside.
Officers from the state security investigation group, whose duties include counter-terrorism, searched the homes for several hours before arresting the protesters on Thursday morning.
The slogans were painted on August 5.

The slogans were painted on August 5.
The activists were charged with property damage and told to pay $2000 in reparations each.
They were later released on bail under the condition they did not go within 200 metres of Woodside’s headquarters in the CBD or associate with one another, but some members charged are related.

Extinction Rebellion member Carmen Stobaus, who lives with her two teenage daughters, watched on as state security investigation group detectives searched her home for four hours.

She was then carted off to the Perth watch house, where she was formally charged.

Ms Stobaus said “traumatic dawn raids and onerous bail conditions” would not deter her from protesting and had only galvanised her resolve.

“If Woodside is so concerned with property damage, perhaps they should reconsider the threat Scarborough Gas poses to significant Aboriginal rock art,” she said.

“What’s worse – some washable chalk on a bridge, or a fossil fuel giant that will permanently damage Aboriginal rock art and destroy any chance we have of a safe climate?”

Other activists also reported officers confiscating their phones and going through their drawers and personal belongings for two hours before being taken to the watch house for further questioning.

View attachment 1230483

The charges relate to a protest against Woodside’s controversial Scarborough project on August 5, where activists covered a pedestrian bridge on Mounts Bay Road with anti-fossil fuel slogans.

The graffiti, written in chalk, read “no new gas”, “gas-led extinction” and “pollution tax”.

PhD student Kelly Hawes, who is also a member of the group, was also charged for defacing a Woodside billboard and is facing costs of up to $4800 in restitution.

“The WA government is increasingly deploying hard-line authoritarian tactics to stifle any criticism of their mates in the gas industry,” Ms Hawes said.

“The pedestrian bridge between Woodside and Parliament is heavily trafficked by lobbyists ... Hopefully a few of them got the message loud and clear last week: we are accelerating off the climate cliff edge and Woodside is hitting the gas.”

The arrests come a week after the release of the latest report on climate by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report, which highlighted the gravity of global warming and its devastating impact on the planet, incensed climate activists from around the globe and led to a new wave of protests.

A WA Police spokeswoman confirmed six people had been charged for painting 100 pieces of graffiti on the footbridge and had been summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
WA ‘counter-terrorism police’ raid climate activists’ homes over chalk graffiti

The homes of six West Australian climate activists have been raided by police amid allegations they graffitied a Perth CBD bridge with chalk paint during a protest against oil and gas giant Woodside.

Officers from the state security investigation group, whose duties include counter-terrorism, searched the homes for several hours before arresting the protesters on Thursday* morning.
*[Thursday being the 19th of August. The protest was on the 5th of August]

They were later released on bail under the condition they did not go within 200 metres of Woodside’s headquarters in the CBD or associate with one another, but some members charged are related

Carmen Stobaus, who lives with her two teenage daughters, watched on as state security investigation group detectives searched her home for four hours. She was then carted off to the Perth watch house, where she was formally charged.

Other activists also reported officers confiscating their phones and going through their drawers and personal belongings for two hours before being taken to the watch house for further questioning.

I can't imagine that experience was a positive for mental health for anyone, let alone the two teenage daughters.
Nor do I think it is good for the family members who are no longer allowed to associate with one another.

The hours of raids, by detectives involved in counter-terrorism... all because they wrote “no new gas”, “gas-led extinction” and “pollution tax” in chalk paint, near Woodside's headquarters.

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/oil-exploration-kids-science-lesson/100388140 - 20/08/21
[]Oil and gas giant Woodside's sponsorship of primary school incursion sparks debate among parents[]

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When Perth mother Michelle got a note from her son's public primary school about an upcoming incursion — a visit by outside instructors — she was taken aback to find out it was a science lesson offered by volunteers sponsored by oil and gas giant Woodside

"The children will get the opportunity to make a reservoir using bread slices, vegemite and sprinkles," the note read.

"They will then become their own exploration company and try to find the best spots to drill into the sandwich to find the oil [Vegemite]."

The incursion was offered as part of Woodside's STEM — science, technology, engineering, and maths — in schools program which it said sends "trained volunteers to primary and secondary schools to run activities and share stories that spark curiosity about STEM and its many career options".

Woodside's website advises that the program is fully booked for the remainder of 2021.
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Woodside Petroleum is a group that I've talked about on here since 2016, due to their links to state and Federal Australian government. Alexander Downer's involvement, and the connection to the Australia–East Timor spying scandal.
And getting into the health and mental health impacts of the victims, whistler blowers, lawyers et al of those actions and actions since then, would probably need to be a topic of its own.
Wikipedia - Australia–East Timor spying scandal
 
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Sep 21, 2009
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Australia–East Timor spying scandal


In short.
Alexander Downer: Minister for Foreign affairs 1996-2007 (Lost the election).
The Greater Sunrise Gas field had an estimated worth of at least $40 billion.
ASIS under Downer, spied on Timor-Leste during negotiations.
Woodside received the contract to develop the Greater Sunrise Gas field.
Downer resigned from Parliament 2008 and took a consulting job with Woodside Energy.



Majority of the following content is quoted from Wikipedia or sources linked.

The Australia–East Timor spying scandal began in 2004 when the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) planted listening devices in a room adjacent to the East Timor (Timor-Leste) Prime Minister's Office at Dili, to obtain information in order to ensure Australia held the upper hand in negotiations with East Timor over the rich oil and gas fields in the Timor Gap.

The main area of interest is the Greater Sunrise Gas field

Even though the East Timor government was unaware of the espionage operation undertaken by Australia, negotiations were hostile.
The first Prime Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri, bluntly accused the Howard Government of plundering the oil and gas in the Timor Sea, stating:

"Timor-Leste loses $1 million a day due to Australia's unlawful exploitation of resources in the disputed area. Timor-Leste cannot be deprived of its rights or territory because of a crime."​

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer responded:

"I think they've made a very big mistake thinking that the best way to handle this negotiation is trying to shame Australia, is mounting abuse on our country...accusing us of being bullying and rich and so on, when you consider all we've done for East Timor."​

Alexander Downer resigned from Parliament on 14 July 2008 and took a consulting job with Woodside Energy.


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Witness K, a former senior ASIS intelligence officer who led the bugging operation, confidentially noted in 2012 the Australian Government had accessed top-secret high-level discussions in Dili and exploited this during negotiations of the Timor Sea Treaty.

2012
  • Witness K revealed the bugging operation in 2012 after learning Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had become an adviser to Woodside Petroleum, which was benefiting from the treaty.
  • Witness K obtained permission to talk to an approved lawyer, Bernard Collaery, a barrister and one-time attorney general for the ACT.
2013
  • ASIO raided the home of Witness K and ASIS seized his passport.
    • Security assessments are usually conducted by ASIO and not, as in the case of Witness K, by ASIS.
  • Despite having approval from the Director-General of ASIO to apply for a passport, ASIS denied Witness K the right to obtain a passport.
  • The seizing of Witness K's passport prevented him from appearing as a witness in East Timor's case against Australia at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
2018
  • Witness K was charged (5 years after the raid and passport seizure).
Andrew Wilkie used parliamentary privilege to reveal that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions had recently filed criminal charges against a former spy known only as "Witness K".

2021
  • Witness K plead guilty and was given a three-month suspended sentence.
In June of 2021, 8 years after being raided and having his passport seized. After 8 years of "effective house arrest".
His guilty plea has been widely reported.

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Timor-Leste Independence and Australian Government actions

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2001
  • East Timor began the process of becoming independent.
2002
  • March. The Australian Government withdrew from the compulsory dispute settlement procedures under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Clauses which could bind Australia to a decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on matters of territorial disputes.
  • May. East Timor has becomes independent. By September East Timor is renamed to Timor Leste
  • Numerous negotiations to determine the ownership of the tens of billions of dollars' worth of oil and gas located on the seabed of the Timor Sea, including completing the undefined boundary known as the Timor Gap, were held between Australia and East Timor from 2002 onwards.
  • Australia and international oil companies were accused of pressuring East Timor.
  • Alexander Downer told the Timor Leste government that if it did not agree to retain the pre-existing border arrangements, income from the Timor Gap's oil deposits would be frozen. Without that income, the government of Timor-Leste would collapse and its people would starve.
  • The Timor Sea Treaty is signed, placing the bulk of the Greater Sunrise gas field in Australian territory. The treaty allocating Timor-Leste 18% of revenues from the oil field.
2004
  • East Timor began negotiating territorial borders with Australia.
  • ASIS used an Australian aid project to infiltrate the Palace of Government in Dili and install listening devices in the walls of the cabinet room
  • The treaty between East Timor and Australia was ridiculed internationally.
  • Over 50 members of the US Congress sent a letter to Prime Minister John Howard calling for a "fair" and "equitable" resolution of the border dispute, noting East Timor's poverty
  • ASIS overseen by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
  • National Security Information (NSI) Act is introduced.
2006
  • Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS) was signed by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer and his East Timorese counterpart José Ramos-Horta. To come into effect in 2007.
2007
  • Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, using a power invoked only six times in its history, invoked a "national interest" exemption clause to fast-track ratification of the CMATS treaty through the Parliament without scrutiny by its Joint Standing Committee on Treaties.
2008
  • Alexander Downer resigns from Parliament.
  • Alexander Downer becomes a consultant for Woodside.

2013
  • Former Minister for the Arts and Sport, Attorney General George Brandis approved the ASIO raid on Bernard Collaery's office(a legal representative for East Timor). All documents and computers were seized by the government, and which Brandis claimed was for national security interests.
  • Shortly after the raid, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Australian government was not permitted to use or view any of the raid evidence.

2014
  • Alexander Downer is appointed High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom (Following in his father's footsteps)

2015
  • Then Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) wrote to then Attorney-General, Senator the Hon. George Brandis QC, requesting his consent to prosecute.
  • Brandis requested Mr Bromwich to prepare written advice (the Bromwich advice)
  • Bromwich advice was finalised one month later.
2016
  • Brandis asked the CDPP to consider the Bromwich advice and provide her opinion.
  • Ms McNaughton provided her opinion (the McNaughton advice) one month later.

2017
  • Brandis asked the Solicitor-General to provide his opinion.
  • The Solicitor-General provided his opinion two months later.
  • The CDPP received the Solicitor-General's opinion seven months later.
2017 - December
  • 19th CDPP received the Solicitor-General's opinion
  • 20th George Brandis stood down as Attorney General
  • 20th Christian Porter is sworn in as Attorney General.

2018
  • George Brandis became Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. (A position Alexander Downer had held since 2014)
  • Australia and Timor-Leste sign a new deal on maritime border, agree to share revenue from Greater Sunrise oil and gas.
  • Attorney General Christian Porter provides consent to the prosecution of Witness K and Bernard Collaery.
  • Christian Porter insisted the finalisation of the new treaty had no influence on his decision.
  • Witness K and Bernard Collaery are charged.


George Brandis Resigned, and was appointed Australia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
In 2015 the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs told a Senate Estimates hearing that she had been offered other work, if she resigned.
Julie Bishop conceded that an international role had been discussed with Triggs in early February.

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https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/your-busine...er/completed-assessments/register/sunrise-gas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia–East_Timor_spying_scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Brandis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alick_Downer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Downer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_high_commissioners_of_Australia_to_the_United_Kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timor_Gap
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_Certain_Maritime_Arrangements_in_the_Timor_Sea
https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/290582/report38.pdf
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08...ime-border-to-be-negotiated-the-hague/7791778
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...us-spy-scandal-that-failed-to-shame-australia
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07...prosecution-heartbreaking-says-lawyer/9981940
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-07/australia,-east-timor-sign-deal-on-maritime-border/9522902
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-30/east-timor-demands-timor-sea-treaty-torn-up/7797118
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10...prosecution-for-years-despite-advice/10341994
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bespoke_Approach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Secret_Intelligence_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunrise_International_Unitization_Agreement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Macfarlane_(politician)
https://www.woodside.com.au/what-we...pments-marketing-and--exploration/timor-leste
https://thewest.com.au/business/ene...ity-stake-in-woodsides-sunrise-ng-b881170707z
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4955794-Letter-to-Senator-Patrick-Questions-on-Notice

https://law.anu.edu.au/sites/all/files/events/national_security_legal_professional_privilege_and_the_bar_rules_print.pdf
 
Sep 21, 2009
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Do the crime, do the time ....
In the Porter thread, you minimised this into just "running down the clock". With the implication of justice not being done.

Now you're position seems to be that justice is being done.



Same tactic of running down the clock is being used in the Vic Worksafe investigation currently.


Minimising this entire issue into just "running down the clock" is extremely dishonest.
But if you minimised it in such an absurd way just so you could also (barely) compare it to some Vic Worksafe investigation, in order to call out the other 'side'. That is partisan, and very frustrating.

But now it seems you didn't even believe what you were posting, when deflecting from Porter.

It's gone from justice not being done, because they're running down the clock... to justice is being done? "Do the crime, do the time".
 
Aug 14, 2011
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In the Porter thread, you minimised this into just "running down the clock". With the implication of justice not being done.

Now you're position seems to be that justice is being done.






Minimising this entire issue into just "running down the clock" is extremely dishonest.
But if you minimised it in such an absurd way just so you could also (barely) compare it to some Vic Worksafe investigation, in order to call out the other 'side'. That is partisan, and very frustrating.

But now it seems you didn't even believe what you were posting, when deflecting from Porter.

It's gone from justice not being done, because they're running down the clock... to justice is being done? "Do the crime, do the time".

Are you trying to put a position by quoting two issues with a context that you ignore.
If you were to address the context of both issues, I'd happily explain my view.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Woodside is riding the boom in fossil fuel prices as the Northern winter exposes weaknesses in energy policy in both Asia & Europe:
'Thermal coal and LNG prices have both hit fresh peaks as the global energy crisis bites ahead of the northern winter, but Australian coal and natural gas producers may struggle to lift supply to take advantage of surging prices.
Spot LNG prices in Asia have soared to a fresh all-time record this week amid a global scramble to secure supplies, potentially putting Australian exporters including Woodside Petroleum in line for massive profit windfalls.'

...
The frenzy among buyers to grab gas volumes could lead to hugely lucrative shipments by Australia’s top LNG exporters, Credit Suisse said, with a single cargo topping $US100m and potentially doubling that if prices keep rising.

“Woodside may have three to five spot cargoes this winter that could fetch over $US500m just by themselves,” Credit Suisse analyst Saul Kavonic said.

“It used to be a very rare event to see a ‘gold’ LNG cargo sold, referring to a cargo worth more than $US100m. Now they are selling strings of gold cargoes and may need to term a ‘platinum’ cargo in case a $US200m cargo is sold.”
 
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