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.

Participants in the Newcastle protest met at 11am at the solitary wind turbine that sits amongst the coal export infrastructure of Kooragang Island, Newcastle. At 11:30 the crowd marched onto and occupied the site of the proposed third coal loader in Newcastle, the centre-peice of plans to double exports from the world's biggest coal port.

The march then proceeded to the fence of the existing coal terminal, which is also undergoing a major expansion. A heavy police presence including speed boats, dirt bikes, and riot squad prevented any people from walking-on to the existing coal terminal site. Instead, the people present read out letters to the coal companies over loud-speaker, pledging to take action to prevent the further expansion of coal, and calling on industry and government to put in place a plan for a just transition away from coal, into sustainable alternatives.

A large dredge machine was operating not far offshore from the protest, beginning work on a major dredging project associated with the proposed new coal terminal. More than 13 million cubic metres of the Hunter River are proposed to be dredged, with the resulting sediment dumped offshore, or filling in wetlands to make way for the coal terminal. Nearly half a million tonnes of the sediment is so toxic, they don't quite know what to do with it.

One of the protesters swam out to disrupt the dredging, but was thwarted by police.

The protest was the latest step in a burgeoning community campaign of non-violent direct action to prevent the expansion of Australia's biggest contribution to climate change.

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This morning's press release:

Climate protest targets Australia's biggest polluter

Demonstrations will take place in more than 80 countries today demanding that the UN climate talks in Bali commit to urgent action against climate change. In Newcastle, protesters will take action against coal exports, which is Australia's biggest contribution to climate change.

Steve Phillips, spokesperson for Newcastle protest organisers Rising Tide, said: “The climate talks in Bali may be the last chance for billions of people, and millions of species around the world. Global greenhouse pollution growth needs to be turned around fast, and reduced rapidly, to avoid catastrophic climate change. That means governments must agree on plans to phase out the fossil fuel industries that are causing the problem.”

“Australia finally has a government that accepts the need to cut greenhouse pollution, but unfortunately that isn't nearly enough. The Australian Government must also accept that action needs to be taken now, not in decades time, and that the necessary reductions in greenhouse pollution are impossible without a plan to phase out the coal industry,” continued Phillips.

“Right now, work is under way on projects to double coal exports from Newcastle – the world's biggest coal port. For the Rudd Government to meet the challenge of climate change, they must step in to prevent this massive expansion of our biggest greenhouse polluting industry.”

“A serious response to climate change demands a moratorium on new coal projects, and a plan for a just transition out of coal,” concluded Phillips.