VIDEO: Escalation: Climate, protest and the fight for the future

'Escalation'

9 October 2023

Four Corners

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Behind this red door climate activists are locked in tense deliberations. They're planning a protest they've never attempted before.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: There's no white smoke from the Vatican yet, I'm afraid, folks… identified themselves as police officers. One of them had their gun drawn..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And they fear the police know it.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: an unmarked car, and two people got out, um, subsequently.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: They've decided to go for it, but there's a hitch.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh no, I fucken locked myself out! No! Shit. Shit. Hi, holy shit, thank you. I'm so so so sorry. I left my car key inside and I locked myself out…

The group Disrupt Burrup Hub is trying to stop one of Australia's biggest fossil fuel projects.

They see this as a crucial moment in the battle against climate change.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh my God the adrenaline it's like kicked

Their target is the country's largest oil and gas company Woodside Energy.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I'm getting like tunnel vision now.

For what 19-year old Tilda's about to do, she could go to prison.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: picturing the run sheet. I'm just like six o'clock play time. 6.01 Lights to voice. 6.02

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Love you guys. Love you Nick [kiss].

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You have so got this Tilda.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yep. I've got this. I'm gonna look back on- I'm gonna remember this day for the rest of her life. Holy fucken shit.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: She's, she's home. Yeah, she's home. Yep.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yep, yep, yep. All right folks.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: This is the story of the battle for the future and the lengths all sides will go to to win.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Nick, can you grab that bucket?

NICK DOYLE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Bucket?

POLICE: Police don't move! Police don't move! Do not move! Do not move!

POLICE: Hands behind your back. Come over this way please. You're under arrest on suspicion of criminal damage.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: This is Murujuga 1500 kilometres north of Perth. It's beautiful here. And in the rocks around me, there are over 1,000,000 Aboriginal rock art images. Some of them created 45,000 years ago. It's also the epicentre of a raging battle between climate activists and Woodside.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Murujuga, or the Burrup, is critical to Woodside's viability. Two vast gas plants – Karratha and Pluto – turn tens of millions of tonnes of gas into liquid every year… and huge profits. They're fed by offshore gas fields, which are running out. Woodside's solution, supported by the WA government is a massive expansion.

CLINTON WALKER: [CALL TO COUNTRY]

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Ngarluma man Clinton Walker is proud of his country –

CLINTON WALKER: So the dingoes came…

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: It's home to one of the most significant collections of rock art in the world.

CLINTON WALKER: but that spotted kangaroo there with the short, thick tail is one of the megafauna kangaroos that grew up to three and a half metres tall. So it was a big, big kangaroo.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Wow.

CLINTON WALKER: Yeah

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Clinton takes me to another site, overlooking industry.

CLINTON WALKER: you can see how close all this rock art is to that plant over there.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And who owns it?

CLINTON WALKER: So over here we've got the Karratha Gas Plant. It's operated by Woodside, and it's owned by Woodside, BP, Shell, Chevron, and a Japanese company called Mimi. They're producing LNG, liquified natural gas.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Many in Clinton's community have mixed feelings about Woodside.

CLINTON WALKER: Now our concern as a people is the emissions whether that's going to have an impact over the coming years and could eventually erode all of the rock art away. And if that happens.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Another traditional owner recently won a court challenge that has forced Woodside to delay part of its expansion. Woodside employs many in the community. Clinton worked there too.

CLINTON WALKER: I was earning a really high wage working as a operator, you know, you're on 250 grand a year. But for an Aboriginal person, it's also difficult because when we're working in those companies, we've got to weigh up our connection to our country, our responsibility as traditional owners to look after country. And it's a honey trap because like a bee, you go get the honey but you get too much honey, you get stuck on there, you know, and you can't move.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: If the expansion of the Burrup Hub goes ahead, some estimates predict it will produce around six billion tonnes of emissions over its lifetime. That would be the equivalent of 24 coal-fired power stations operating for fifty years.

ALEX HILLMAN, FORMER WOODSIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISOR: When I say I can't think of a bigger climate change decision an Australian will ever make, like that's a sincere opinion, it's massive.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Woodside believes the project is crucial for our transition to net zero.

MEG O'NEILL, WOODSIDE CEO: When used to generate electricity, natural gas emits around half the lifecycle emissions of coal… As the Prime Minister said, it smooths the transition to renewables

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Others believe the future of our planet is at stake. The UN says relying on gas or fossil fuels will lead to a climate catastrophe.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, 2023: A very good morning. It is still possible to.. avoid the very worst of climate change, but only with dramatic immediate climate action.

ANTONIO GUTERRES: The solution is clear. End licensing or funding of new oil and gas. Stopping the expansion of existing oil and gas reserves – and supporting the just transition of the impacted developing countries.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: In response to this, Disrupt Burrup Hub has escalated their campaign from invading a football pitch, and graffitiing art work to letting off a stink bomb. This is the unexpected centre of civil disobedience in Western Australia. Gathered here are protesters with the local branch of the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion. Their protests are sometimes illegal.

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: I'm not your typical criminal, though. Your typical criminal doesn't sit around waiting to get arrested. And your typical criminal doesn't tip off the media just before they start an action. And your typical criminal might even have some remorse.

LARAINE NEWTON, EXTINCTION REBELLION: For us, climate is such a strong issue. It's an existential crisis, all these things that it's, um, that if we don't do something, then we are criminals.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Extinction Rebellion started in the UK and changed the face of the climate movement.

EMMA THOMPSON: I am so proud and thrilled to be a part of Extinction Rebellion.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: They're famously known for shutting down London for four days.

POLICE: Anyone who does not wish to be arrested..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Extinction Rebellion was imported to Australia in 2019 and quickly spread with branches all over the country.

PROTESTER: We're in the climate emergency…

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Thank you

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Come in.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: It's nice

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Yeah. This is the space for us to meet a space for us to socialise, a space for us to keep our things

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Carmen Stobaus is one of Extinction Rebellion's staunch frontline protesters.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And which- are you here in this picture?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Yeah, I'm in the, I'm the third protester in the back in the picture.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: So this one just here..

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Yeah that's me?

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Did you get arrested for that one?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Uh, no. No. We gotta a move on notice. Yeah. Um, but we'd finished the action by then, so mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, we, we cleaned up after ourselves and we went home. And that's kind of, um, the experiences we'd been having with the police.. It had been a, um, a respectful sort of relationship.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Carmen was one of the first climate protesters to be targeted by WA's State Security Investigations Group, informally known as the state's counter terrorism squad. They're usually deployed to deal with violent extremists and threats to state and national security. But now, they're targeting protesters in the climate movement. Two years ago, Carmen and her group used chalk paint to spray anti Woodside logos on a footbridge next to the company's headquarters.

CYCLIST: Oh graffiti artist, beauty.

CARMEN: We sprayed until there was no footpath left to spray… and went to a coffee shop and had a coffee together.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Two weeks later Carmen got a knock on the door.

OFFICER 2: Right, it's on now.. you right? OFFICER: Okay.

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Is this,

OFFICER: Um sorry.

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Is this legit or?

OFFICER: Yep. Yep. This is.. Just listen for a sec. Everything's being recorded. Okay. Just to protect you and protect us. Alright. Okay. we're here for the purpose of executing a CI search warrant. Can you please just introduce yourself Carmen?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: My name's Carmen Stobus.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Four armed State Security Investigations officers in bullet proof vests – raided Carmen's house in front of her teenage daughters.

OFFICER: What I would like to do right now is just to advise you that you are being placed under arrest. Okay? On suspicion only. On suspicion only of criminal damage. Okay?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: It's going to upset my kids.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: On the risk assessment for the raid, police classify Extinction Rebellion as a gang or organised criminal entity.

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: But you're treating me like a terrorist.

OFFICER: No, we just want to give you your rights. Okay? So carry on please.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Officers from this unit, who are used to taking down violent extremists, are looking for paint used in two recent graffiti protests.

OFFICER: Just up here is more paint, is it?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Okay.

OFFICER: Fabric and poster paint. Yeah. And there's lots of different, um, I guess poster paint, large amounts of it

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: How's that large amounts? There's one poster paint and like one blue fabric paint – is that large amounts?

OFFICER: Oh okay, well I mean there's a lot of bottles.

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Yeah, there's all different colours. You need different colours.

OFFICER: Oh okay, yep yep

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: The officers then approached Carmen's daughters.

OFFICER: Hello? Sorry. Sorry to wake you up. Could I just get you to introduce yourself on camera, please?

MELISSA BUTTERLY: I'm Melissa Butterly.

OFFICER: Sorry, would you mind introducing yourself on camera?

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Do you remember what Caitlyn said?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Uh, when

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: The police officer asked her for her name?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: No, I can't remember what Caitlyn said.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She said, I'm terrified.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Some of the charges against Carmen Stobaus were dropped. She was found not guilty for the rest. We asked WA Police to explain the raid, but Assistant Commissioner Jo McCabe couldn't answer our questions.

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: I can only assume, again, not knowing the detail, that there was justification for the search warrant

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Okay. But you can't tell me what that justification was?

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: No, no, don't know the case in particular.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Hey…

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Mother of two Tahlia Stolarski is a member of the Disrupt Burrup Hub group that recently split from Extinction Rebellion.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Sorry, I've gotta wake you up this morning. Normally you guys are up before me, aren't you.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She's facing the full force of the new police response to climate protesters in WA.

DAISY: It's gonna be super cold today.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She's getting ready to go to court.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Alright. Shoes. bag. Um, water bottles on the table. What else?

DAISY: I want to eat with you

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: With me? I don't know if there'll be time for me to eat too, but we'll try.

DAISY: I got you that doggie Lily..

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh you going to bring that as Toto.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She's charged with aggravated burglary for attempting to set off a stink bomb at Woodside's AGM in April.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: How does that feel?

LILY: Um, pretty good.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: It's the most serious offence any climate activist has ever been charged with in WA.

DAISY: Milk!

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Please.

DAISY: Please.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She's looking at up to 20 years in prison.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Good morning. Hi. Hello. Hey guys.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Hey, how you going?

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Good, how are you?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah, good.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You ready?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah, sure.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Gerard Mazza is also facing charges. He's Disrupt Burrup Hub's main strategist.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I think, my suspicion is that they're going to just start opposing bail for us as a matter of, you know, as the normal thing.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: They're meeting fellow activist Jesse Noakes, the group's media advisor. He's also going to court today

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: there's Jesse. Hey.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Against the backdrop of increased protest activity.. Our investigation's found climate activists across the country are being charged with serious offences in unprecedented numbers. Records kept by major activist groups show that since 2021 almost a hundred of their members have faced the threat of a significant jail term. Prior to that there were almost none.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I mean, the prospect of going to jail for 20 years is frightening. Obviously I've got two young kids. Um, so yeah, the idea of going to jail at all, um, is quite scary for me.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: In court, the police argue that the three should be prevented from contacting each other. Their lawyer Zarah Burgess convinces the magistrate that's unnecessary.

ZARAH BURGESS, LAWYER: these kinds of conditions.. are what we would normally see in relation to outlaw motorcycle gangs, not peaceful climate activists. Um, and certainly it appears to be that police are continuing with their crackdown on the lawful activities of climate activists.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: No sooner have the activists left court for one protest… they go straight to a planning meeting for another.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: We've got, uh, materials, media training, rehearsal and security rundown.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Okay.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Does that sound about right? Yeah. Covering everything.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Despite the increased legal threat… This next protest will be Disrupt Burrup Hub's boldest yet.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Should we do rehearsal before media training?

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Definitely

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: They've invited us to their rehearsal. We don't know their exact target.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You put this end in to the paint. Yeah. And you pull it up that it suck the painting. Oh, sit put the lid on. Yeah. And then squeeze it out.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Okay, I just cannot find find the instructions hey. It's actually

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: you just give that a go?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh no, no. It's coming at that end. It doesn't want to seem to want to fill these up. So I'm gonna try and put these on. Oh, the other, that bit there. Yeah.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Can the cap go on that other bit?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Possibly

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I can't believe it was on clearance for $9, but it's like a water gun and a balloon filler. I can fill up a hundred balloons in like 30 seconds.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Tilda Lane-Rose, will be taking the lead role. Her protest is scheduled to take place before dawn tomorrow.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Do you want, do you want once from the top through? I can…

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah. I reckon let's go from the top through.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You reckon you've got it. Tilda?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Six, ah so we start

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Six am is playtime

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Six playtime. 6:01 spray. 6:02 tip. 6:03 lob. 6:04. Lock 6:05. Piece to camera. And then that's, yeah,

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: That's perfect. The only thing you missed was deploy lights.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh Shit, yeah.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: But I will deploy the lights.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Spot on.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: We're there, light's on. Six o'clock, I send a text message. I'm gonna go first.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: It's all over my hands.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah, and all over the lock.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Okay. And then obviously not gonna be such an angle.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Put it on the thing first, right? Yeah. Do you want me to hold it straight?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: That would be great actually.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: And you'll have plenty of time… Nice one.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Okay

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: And then I will be standing about where Nick is. Yep. And we'll do

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Piece to camera

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Piece to camera. Yep.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Saying something profound moving. Brave, bold, intellectual.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I reckon maybe let's do a round of how did it feel?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah, it was good. It's good to actually get stuff on a wall.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yep. I felt a little bit flustered, so

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: A bit of time pressure, but that's okay. We've actually got a bit of time..

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: that second lob you did was spot on.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Tilda is expecting to go into custody. I ask her for her final reflections.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: the thing that I'm targeting. I think it's something that really matters to me, especially as like a young person who often feels like quite, uh, disempowered within the political system, Um, and I think like just sort of, I'm like sticking it to the man and saying, listen to me, which is yeah. Exciting.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: I have no idea what you're going to do tomorrow. Um, but I'm assuming it's got an element of breaking the law.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yep, it does. So, yeah.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And you're confident you want to do that?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yeah, I'm really confident. I think that, um, I just don't, I feel like I've exhausted every other avenue really. this is, yeah, I think the logical next step in my sort of fight to pursue what matters to me.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: On the other side, the fight is just as fierce. We really wanted to show you Woodside's perspective, but they declined multiple times. So we've relied on industry analysts to bring you a different view.

SAUL KAVONIC, ENERGY ANALYST: we can't just, you know, look at our gas industry for example, and say it needs to shut tomorrow because it is integral to Australia's economy and global civilization.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Energy analyst Saul Kavonic thinks we should be proud of our gas sector.

SAUL KAVONIC, ENERGY ANALYST: projects like the Burrup Hub have a couple of key elements to them. It's actually a big provider of domestic gas to Australia. This is very good for high paying jobs domestically. Keep in mind over the last couple of years and including the last budget surplus, a very large chunk of that surplus would not have been there if not for taxes from Australia's LNG sector.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Australia is the world's biggest exporter of Liquid Natural Gas – a quarter of it processed in the Burrup peninsula. Saul says preventing Woodside's expansion is reckless.

SAUL KAVONIC, ENERGY ANALYST: If we look globally, particularly in the wake of the tragic Ukraine war last year, our allies and trading partners in Europe and Asia are very worried about energy security. And for them, energy security is not just a cost of living issue, it's a national security issue for them. And so they look to Australia to provide their energy needs.

JESSICA PANEGYRES, GREENPEACE: Mr Chairman, I'd like to introduce Jessica Panegyres.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: During a shareholders' meeting last year…

JESSICA PANEGYRES, GREENPEACE: As a very proud West Australian, I'd love to see WA…

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: …environmental activists holding proxy votes put questions to Woodside's CEO Meg O'Neill.

JESSICA PANEGYRES, GREENPEACE: How is Woodside addressing the risk pushing more gas into our key Asian export markets may be displacing renewable energy?

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Ms. O'Neill reiterated how important our gas is to our Asian allies.

JESSICA PANEGYRES, GREENPEACE: Are we actually causing harm..?

MEG O'NEILL, WOODSIDE CEO: we work very closely with our Japanese customers who are utility providers, and they're very clear that they cannot meet their customer's needs through solar and wind alone.

HOST, WOODSIDE SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING: Chairman, I'd like to introduce Mr. David Ritter, who is a proxy holder..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: At the same meeting, Woodside's chair, Richard Goyder, disputed claims by Greenpeace CEO David Ritter, that Woodside's business practices go against UN policy.

RICHARD GOYDER, WOODSIDE CHAIRMAN: I think the United Nations would say that actually energy security and providing people who are moving to have a sort of standard of living that you enjoy today, supported by fossil fuels today, that they're entitled to that, and that businesses like Woodside that are part of the energy transition, that are part of moving the world to net zero by 2050 are an important part of it.

DAVID RITTER, GREENPEACE CEO: Look, a gas company seeking to gaslight the United Nations is quite something.

RICHARD GOYDER, WOODSIDE CHAIRMAN: This is not a statement that… Can we close down microphone five, please, and we'll move to microphone three, thank you.

ALEX HILLMAN, FORMER WOODSIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISOR: They want to delay the transition as much as they can because it's what they know. It's what the executives bonuses are based on. They just want to keep on going as they are.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Alex Hillman was a lobbyist and climate change adviser for Woodside. He worked for the company for almost a decade.

Now working with the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, he says if even part of the Burrup Hub expansion is approved, it'll be a huge source of emissions.

ALEX HILLMAN, FORMER WOODSIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISOR: Northwest Shelf extension is currently undergoing environmental approvals. That approval would allow it to emit and will process and emit about 4 billion tonnes of emissions. The scale of this thing is hard to understand

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Alex says the industry relies on a tight relationship with the top echelons of government.

ALEX HILLMAN, FORMER WOODSIDE CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISOR: So Woodside donates more money to both major political parties than any other Australian fossil fuel company. It employs politicians as directors.. to influence state policy and ah ministerial decisions both times Woodside's faced a carbon price. It's lobbied against them and it's been repealed.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: One of the starkest examples of this is when former premier Mark McGowan personally intervened to advance the interests of industry.

TOM HATTON, FORMER EPA CHAIR: I took a phone call from the premier and we had a discussion. It was very clear that he did not want to see the resource industry hamstrung by conditions on greenhouse gas emissions that they felt were untenable. It was rather extraordinary.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: This is the former head of the independent agency, the Environmental Protection Authority of WA speaking to ABC News a few weeks ago.

In 2019, Tom Hatton published new guidelines for industry to offset emissions from all new large polluting projects to net zero. It was a kind of carbon tax.

Woodside and the gas industry pushed back.

MEG O'NEILL, WOODSIDE CEO: It's an issue that'll affect oil and gas investment, mining investments, other developments, even things like fertiliser plants. So there's a thousands of jobs at stake. It's not just our business.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: After a meeting with industry representatives, including Meg O'Neill, the then Premier, Mark McGowan rang the head of the EPA.

TOM HATTON, FORMER EPA CHAIR: It wasn't a very long phone call. It was a very direct, a very straightforward request that he did not want us to continue with those guidelines and wanted us to withdraw them. I tried to have a conversation to say well… we are happy to do further consultation if that's what's required. He said, 'no, I want you to withdraw the guidelines'.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Tom Hatton previously told the ABC he felt he had no choice.

TOM HATTON, FORMER EPA CHAIR: it was highly unorthodox and in my view inappropriate. I felt I had the whole reputation of 50 years of EPA on my shoulders, but also the the environmental future of the state on my shoulders.

MARK MCGOWAN, FORMER WA PREMIER: And thank you to all of you..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Mark McGowan resigned from government 4 months ago. Four Corners has confirmed he's joining resources giant BHP and mining company Mineral Resources as a consultant. McGowan's then treasurer Ben Wyatt is now a director with Woodside.

Neither McGowan nor Wyatt responded to requests for an interview.

ALANNAH MCTIERNAN, FORMER CABINET MINISTER: it's not big news that companies ah come and try to influence government.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Former long-term Labor minister Alannah McTiernan was part of the cabinet that approved some of the Burrup expansion. She rejects any suggestion the government has been captured by industry.

ALANNAH MCTIERNAN, FORMER CABINET MINISTER: The role of government is to really look at the arguments.. understand the community's aspirations and work out what is achievable.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She says the state needs the Burrup expansion because it's not ready to shut down gas completely. But she is critical of sections of the industry over the pace of the transition to renewable energy.

ALANNAH MCTIERNAN, FORMER CABINET MINISTER: we've gotta drive those companies harder. And I've, I've said this to them many times, you can't just dabble around the edges making, uh, it appear that you are interested in funding the technology for the transition. You gotta get in there and you've really gotta be part of that, um, that solution.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Which companies have been most resistant to change?

ALANNAH MCTIERNAN, FORMER CABINET MINISTER: Um, well, I'll, I'll pass on that HAGAR: What about Woodside?

ALANNAH MCTIERNAN, FORMER CABINET MINISTER: Um, uh, I've certainly always encouraged Woodside to, um, uh, be more ambitious.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: It's August 1. Protest day.

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Do you know where you're going Jesse?

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Yep

GERARD MAZZA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Cool. I should tell everyone we're gonna to, we're gonna touch down in about what

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Five minutes

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: [LAUGHS]

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh, probably right on sunrise. I reckon.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Anyone have any final of words? Oh yeah, bye Tilda. Nice knowing you.

JESSE NOAKES, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I'm just very very very very proud

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: This is the moment Tilda's been preparing for.

NICK DOYLE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You ready?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: What am I doing?

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: But as the Disrupt Burrup Hub activists pull up, police are waiting.

POLICE OFFICER: Police don't move! Police don't move! Do not move! Do not move!

POLICE OFFICER: You're under arrest on suspicion of trespass.

POLICE OFFICER: You're under arrest for trespass.. Come over this way please. You're under arrest on suspicion of criminal damage.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: So we've been following the protestors to this address here It looks like this is the house of Woodside energy CEO, Meg O'Neill. Um, and the protest that they've planned was probably going to be at the gate of, um, Ms. O'Neill's house. As soon as the protestors arrived, police were waiting for them here, stopped them immediately, and put them under arrest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Over the next half hour more and more police show up. The seriousness of the police operation quickly becomes apparent. WA's State Security Investigations Squad is in charge. Soon they turn their attention to the ABC.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Yes, I'm with the ABC. Yep, with the Four Corners programme. Sure. Uh, my name is Hagar Cohen.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And you?

ROGER HAYNES, STATE SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS GROUP: I'm Roger Haynes from the State Security Investigations Group

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Roger Haynes asks to search our ABC van.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Do you have a search warrant?

ROGER HAYNES, STATE SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS GROUP: I don't need one..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: He thinks we have the activists' phones inside. But then he changes his mind.

ROGER HAYNES, STATE SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS GROUP: All good!

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: all good. He's all good. He doesn't need it anymore.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: After about an hour, the activists are bundled into a police car and taken into custody.

Gerard Mazza is charged with trespass. He, Jesse Noakes and Tilda Lane-Rose are charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Took me an hour to get there and all of that, where I don't think they would've done that if I was under arrest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Hi Jo, how are you? How are you guys going?

JOANA PARTYKA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Uh, just a bit thrown

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Later that morning, I caught up with Tahalia at Joana Partyka's apartment… the story about the protest was all over the papers.

I wanted to know why Disrupt Burrup Hub thought their actions were justified.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Did you see though Meg O'Neill released a statement to the papers today?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: No.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: She said she was terrified.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Climate activists target home of Woodside Energy boss..

JOANA PARTYKA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: That line "such acts by extremists should be condemned by anyone who respects the law and believes people should be safe to go about their business at home and at work". Like what about my …

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: What about my kids?

JOANA PARTYKA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: That's the point. That's the point of why we're doing this.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Like what about my kids feeling safe when they're adults? Like me feeling like they're gonna have, be able to have a safe home.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: But you don't feel that this kind of action would be terrifying?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: You know, she would know this campaign is a nonviolent campaign. Um, I don't see any reason

JOANA PARTYKA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: It also pales in comparison to the terror that we all feel a) every day as people living in a climate crisis fuelled by Woodside and b) as individuals being targeted by the state for trying to fight.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: the action today probably does represent somewhat an escalation in the campaign. Um, do, do you think that police, the police are feeling like, okay, this is the radicalization of this group?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I don't see today's action being an escalation. Um, our strategy is to escalate or, and or, um, use in innovative, innovative, um, tactics.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh, it's the police.

JOANA PARTYKA, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Oh. You should take that.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Hello, Tahlia speaking. Yeah. Hi. Good, thanks.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: A state security investigations officer tells Tahlia that there are 6 of them outside her house with a search warrant. Tahlia's told if she doesn't go home, they'll break in.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I am leaving now. I can be there in 20 minutes.. Sure..

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: This year alone, Disrupt Burrup Hub activists have been charged with indictable offences 23 times.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: All right, so I can see a couple of police officers just at the front of, um, Tahlia's house. Uh, we think it's from the counterterrorism squad. We're gonna go and check it out.

DETECTIVE: Hello Tahlia.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Hi.

DETECTIVE: I'm, uh, detective <inaudible> from WA Police, just to let you know at the moment you're currently under arrest in suspicion of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Why?

DETECTIVE: I'll explain your rights first and then I'll go into all of that. But right now, you're currently under arrest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Tahlia Stolarski's house is being searched for the third time in 4 months.

OFFICER: Anything you say or do will be recorded.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Can I have the warrant?

DETECTIVE: Yes.. a copy of it's here. We'll do that on video..

DETECTIVE: Would you like to come inside?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: No, I Just wanna read

DETECTIVE: you are, you're currently under arrest so you have to come inside

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: but I can, I'm pretty sure I…

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: The officers take nearly two hours to go through Tahlia's belongings. They're hoping to uncover evidence of the planning for the Meg O'Neill protest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: You're not under arrest anymore?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Not under arrest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Okay. And not being charged with anything?

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: Uh, no, not at this point.

DETECTIVE: Goodbye. Okay. See, maybe see you again soon.

TAHLIA STOLARSKI, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: That was a bit of a relief.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: We asked assistant police commissioner Jo McCabe to explain their response.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: How do you justify devoting this amount of resources towards this group and this particular protest?

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: Well, that depends on the intelligence and then putting a response accordingly to that. We don't know what else, uh, that was being planned. We dunno what else we disrupted.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Do you think that the fact that this was the personal residence of, the CEO of Woodside – big company here in this state – would have made a, a difference to the police response?

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. It's of no relevance to us. If that person is the CEO of Woodside, um, you know, or Mrs. Jones, um, you know, a member of our community.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: What is the security risk that climate activists pose these days?

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: from time to time, we have intelligence, they, that may suggest, uh, that people are going to, to breach the law. But in general, uh, we don't think most of the protest behaviour that we see, um, you know, is, is radicalising people.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: So on what grounds was the State Security Investigations Unit deployed, um, to police climate activists?

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: Uh, look, I can't talk about individual, uh, um, investigations.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: is it because they're motivated by a particular ideology, um, or political ideas

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: No, not at all.

KRISTEN MORRISEY, DISRUPT BURRUP HUB: I'm here to evacuate this building for Disrupt Burrup Hub

Jo McCabe says that police partly justify the involvement of state security, because the activists set off a stink bomb at Woodside's headquarters back in June.

JO MCCABE, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: you know, we had people going to hospital, Um, as a result of that incident. So if our state security in, um, investigations Group are keeping an eye on the team in Disrupt Burrup, it's because of their previous behaviour.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: A police spokesperson later retracted this statement, saying that some people felt sick, but there were no hospitalisations.

In the days following the protest outside Meg O'Neill's house, a media storm erupted. The ABC's presence at the protest was criticised.

DAVID COLEMAN, SHADOW COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Has the minister asked the ABC if the person who took the decision to send along a camera crew in these circumstances will be sacked?

SOPHIE ELSWORTH, MEDIA WRITER: This smells, this reeks that there's something dodgy going on here.

JUSTIN SMITH, COLUMNIST: You know, they, they really need to have a good hard look.

MEG O'NEILL, WOODSIDE CEO: What happened Tuesday has left me shaken, fearful and distressed.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: After repeated attempts to get an interview with Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill, we were told that the company will not take part in our programme because of our presence at the protest outside the CEO's house.

Two gas industry associations also refused to be interviewed. As did the WA Premier Roger Cook, environment minister and energy minister. 

Woodside's chairman Richard Goyder and director Ben Wyatt didn't respond to our approaches. Another director, former federal resources minister, Ian Macfarlane, sent a text saying our team should be ashamed of our atrocious behaviour. 

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: So this is your room?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE: Yes. Yeah, this is my bedroom. And just down there are the red Nike TMs that I was wearing the morning of the action.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: At the centre of this controversy 19-year-old Tilda Lane-Rose is resolute.

MATILDA LANE-ROSE: and ultimately, everyone was like Tilda, this is, this is your decision

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: I wanted to know how Tilda felt about Meg O'Neill's reaction to the protest.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: was that your intent to cause her fear?

MATILDA LANE-ROSE: No, not at all. So I think it obviously sparks some personal reflection obviously you'd have to be very cold and callous to say, I don't care about her. It wasn't, this action wasn't designed to strike terror into Meg. It was designed to hold someone, like someone who's accountable for what's happening on the Burrup accountable Did you cross any kind of ethical lines because it was targeting personal residence. I think no matter what we do, it's going to cross a line to some people.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: For now, Tilda feels that non violent direct action is the only way forward.

The question is how far is the climate protest movement willing to go to achieve their goals?

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: And do you see the act of breaking the law civil disobedience as a last resort?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: I hope it's the last resort because the only other thing after this is violence. Extinction rebellion are not supporters of violence. They're are firmly nonviolent. But I think other protest groups will emerge that will use violence out of desperation.

HAGAR COHEN, REPORTER: Is it something you'd be willing to do?

CARMEN STOBAUS, EXTINCTION REBELLION: Who can say, I don't think so. I hope not, but I'm only human.