A major energy company has again been targeted by activists opposed to a massive gas project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
About 9.30am Monday, lead singer of Perth punk band Last Quokka, Trent Rojahn, used a fire extinguisher charged with bright yellow paint to blast the ground floor windows of Woodside Plaza, in Perth’s CBD.
He then used spray paint to write the words ‘Disrupt Burrup Hub’ across the building’s entrance, which houses Woodside’s corporate headquarters.
WA Police said their officers were speaking to two people regarding the protest, and that their inquiries were ongoing.
The Burrup Hub project on the Burrup Peninsula, north of Karratha, is a $50 billion LNG project being developed by Woodside.
It’s been the target of protests because of the environmental impacts of the project, and threats to the Murujuga rock art near the project site, which contains some of the oldest petroglyphs in the world.
On Friday, the federal government announced it had nominated the Murujuga paintings for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
In a statement, Mr Rojahn said “the WA government has delayed nominating Murujuga for world heritage status until they’re sure that industry have got all the sign-offs they need already.
“Woodside and the WA government are painting with the same brush. They must abandon their plans to expand the Burrup Hub,” said Mr Rojahn.
On January 19, Perth artist Joana Partyka sprayed the Woodside logo across Frederick McCubbin’s painting ‘Down on His Luck’ at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, protesting the same development.
The 1889 oil on canvas piece was protected by a Perspex shield.
Appearing in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, Ms Partyka, 37, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was fined $2637, as well as being ordered to pay $4821.08 in damages to the gallery.
Leaving court, Ms Partyka told reporters “I have always taken full responsibility for my actions, which is more than I can say for Woodside.”