Around eight people have been arrested so far, since almost fifty police arrived at the Wallum development in Brunswick Heads this morning to escort machinery and other work vehicles on to the site. Police included local officers, members of the NSW Public Order and Riot Squad, and Police Rescue.
A growing crowd of protesters have been doing their best to delay them, with additional protesters known as ‘possums’ on site in the trees.
Concrete barricades have already been pushed aside by the machinery, which is being operated by contractor J & M Bashforth.
Protester arrests
The police are reportedly calling this Operation Utah. The Echo spoke with Save Wallum’s James Barrie as the situation developed.
Mr Barrie said he was unsure what works were planned for the day, but with early stage 1 approval in place for the development, he said the 20 tonne excavator was trying to get into the site, with 80-90 people directly in front of the machine.
‘It’s slowly being inched forward by the cops, with assistance from security.’
Mr Barrie said he expected more protesters to be arrested today.
‘I’m trying to advocate and provide an interface here. There’s a proposal that the footprint of this be changed, by the mayor and by Save Wallum, with the developers in conversation around that.’
Possum speaks
Possum ‘Sam’ managed to evade the police and security and get into a tree on site before anyone could stop him.
When The Echo spoke to him he had been in the tree for 30 minutes, and planned to stay there ‘until they get me down or I fall out!’
Sam explained, ‘I’m up here today because they’re trying to ruin this beautiful land that’s left. There’s not even 2 per cent left of all natural reserves here in Brunswick Heads. It’s just a shame that in the name of progress and blind ambition, they want to tear down these beautiful scribbly gums and this history that’s here, and ruin the beautiful land we’re on.
‘I fully stand against that. Anyway I can, I’ll try and stop them.’
Sam said he was fully prepared to be arrested. ‘ I believe in what I’m doing just as much as they do,’ he said.
The possum said he wanted to pass on his love and support for everyone on the ground, ‘and keep as safe as possible while being arrested or standing in the way of these machines. Look after one another,’ he said.
Just after 10am the police and security were able to clear the path enough for the J & M Bashforth vehicles to enter the site.
There are currently protesters locked on to an excavator and a backhoe at the site.
Photos Tree Faerie
I wish the police would see the light and refuse to use their force against local people.
Same with Bashforth. Boycott !!!
I wish the police would arrest the rent-a-protestors and the developers sued the protesters for financial loss
I wish the Police would deploy the K-Nine dog unit. They don’t like Police dogs, rent-a-protesters. Coincidentally, Police dogs don’t like rent-a-protesters
50 Police! Meanwhile, domestic violence continues, but as long as our brave boys (and girls) in blue (and black webbing) save that 20 tonne excavator from being prevented from destroying what is left of our wilderness, then all cool. Eh?
What do we have to offer for our childrens children? No wonder they don’t want children!!!! The future looks very bleak. They wont stop destroying mother Earth.
I see Maxim ..so what land and environment
Has been destroyed and developed for your
Lifestyle ?
Love the logic …
It’s a shame when the police are used as the bully boys for developers or government to push through their agendas. The police are supposed to work for the people. It’s also disappointing that the Mayor used his casting vote to support this development against the wishes on many residence under the guise of affordable housing.
Get rid of any Mayor who destroys precious habitat! Developers sure have him in their pocket .
The Mayor. Michael Lyon is the only political friend that the Wallum supporters have who is actively involved with the company, not just turning up for media photos.
The Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek wants nothing to do with Wallum, likewise, the State Minister Paul Scully also won’t touch Wallum.
The local federal member, a cabinet minister won’t support wallumites, especially after the office sit-in..
The local state Green member did turn up for a photo, but only once, from memory.
Sue Higginson has turned up several times, including today, but as a Green MLC has little influence.
That just leaves the Mayor, Michael Lyon, who with several other Councillors , Coorey, and Swivel HAVE engaged with the owners of the property and HAVE managed to secure an option, to reduce the development footprint. This arrangement was adopted UNAMOUSLY by the Council, including by the Green’s mayoral candidate, Cr. Sarah Ndiaye
The Owners won’t give the Wallum protesters a seat at any table, particularly after the demonstration outside their offices, with a scared, solo, female employee locking herself inside. Then there is today’s effort, which won’t win the hearts and minds of the developers.
So how do the protesters react to the only politician working to save, at least some of Wallum?
A string of abuse regularly directed at him on their Facebook site, which was way over the top on one day, in particular. Also, his wife was abused whilst with their young son.
Polite this lot is not!
Either, Wallum supporters believe that they don’t need friendly supporters, or they have lost the plot.
Or both!
Very sad day for the environment all right unfortunately it’s happening everywhere inappropriate development on a large scale on floodplains all the NSW Premier has to do is ban building on floodplains which is supposedly meant to be law already. Plus expensive law enforcement and police take away from hunting crims etc mad world we live in and yes probably all end up as air b and bs not a affordable housing.
Reaffirms why the public have lost faith in the NSW Police.. If anyone is curious.. The NSW police oath (search for it online) doesn’t refer to protecting the people or the land… Only the king and sovereignty.
When did NSW Police become the security force for property developers and their bulldozers?
As he has recently done in flood zones elsewhere, Premier Minns needs to step in and stop this unwanted zombie development that should never have been approved in the first place. The community hates it, it’s in a threatened species habitat, on a wetland, and it was recently underwater. What are our local and state representatives doing to advocate for a direct intervention from the Premier?
Wallum belongs to the frogs and the wildlife. Let it stay that way.
It’s an old piece of sandy ground that’s been slated for development for forty years. The previous developer gave up fully a third of what he could’ve developed to the environment. If you eco idiots weren’t so greedy there’d be potential for a small supermarket a doctor a pharmacy a great pub a park on the river , for everyone to use etc all employing local young people but your selfishness and greed has ruined any chance of that.
Not an “old piece of sandy ground”, Bob, its a FLOOD PLAIN on coffee rock! absolutely brimming with endangered & threatened wildlife, 300 year old habitat trees, wild flowers, & 2 week ago after heavy rain for about 24 hours part of it was almost knee deep in water! Totally unsuitable to build on. Slated to be built on for 40 years means its a Zombie development & needs to be ecologically re-assessed .
Bob, we need ecosystems like this for us to survive. You see, we rely on biodiversity for things like food production. We don’t need a great pub. We need a liveable future
This development is not slated for a supermarket, doctors, pharmacy or a pub. So no, it will not be able to “help many people”.
Referring to critical wetlands as “old piece of sandy ground” says a lot about you. I hope, when the day comes that your house, your favourite pub, favourite beach, any place you care about comes under threat of greedy corporations and government, just remember they are “old pieces of sandy ground”.
Honestly! Theyre only in it for profit! When will they open their eyes and see that the developers are truely the ones who are here for the people. The developers are probably making a loss in all honesty
Well done everyone. Its the right thing to do. Greed and profit should never stand in front of protecting the environment
Shame, shame, shame
We won!
I may have lost my job going to wallum today instead of work, but I am willing to sacrifice everything to save these precious frogs!
I for one will always choose the side of life, and today is the turning of the tide….
You haven’t, your choice and it isn’t.
This development is Inappropriate and everybody knows it, its only the greed of the developers and the corruption of those that let this through that this is even happening. To use the police force to be violent with peaceful protectors is disgraceful.
This habitat is vital for the health of the entire system here, and the greedy and foolish decisions (the very same that have not heeded advice from ecologists in the past and built developments on unsuitable areas) will be a devasting outcome if they go ahead.
Greatest respect to all those defending this unique and special area, stay strong and fight for our wildlife, for our natural places and for our future generations.
Property development under martial law. Shame on the Minns government to allow the NSW Police as hired muscle for developers. I’m sure they’d be many boys ( and girls) in blue who’d also be unhappy with this. That’s not what they signed up to do!
These are the tactics of the Bjekle-Petersen government of Queensland in the 70s when it was a police state and is even more shameful that an ALP state government is allowing the same thing to happen in the 21st Century.
Those arrested and those who protested, you have my
full support.
We’ve all read the literature why the Wallum development is such a bad thing. This development takes it to a whole new level of awfulness
Save Wallum, but not too quick because us professional protesters haven’t got anything else to protest lined up just yet. Possum Sam, stay up that tree buddy; i’ll pick up your dole check; and yeah, down with the Police ….unless we need them.
Every time I ring the local Byron police with an issue , noise complaint or drunk driver driving around with no headlights , they say QUOTE .”
We don’t have enough resources to deal with these issues . Please contact your local state politician and tell them we need more resources !” YET TODAY they turn up with 50 officers to bully environmental activists !!
NOW WE know how the system works , and is designed to support developers and give a big F U to people who care about our environment.
WHAT A JOKE !!!!! Today our police in the Northern Rivers just lost any remaining respect I had for them . TRUE COLORS always shine through sooner or later !!!
Hi Peter,
just for clarity – I don’t think all of the police staff were local
Eve
The police were riot control officers from mid north coast. Not locals.
Local police have been helpful in trying to keep the peace.
If people can use their imagination… Imagine that the gold coast was once a similar environment to Northern NSW, many decades ago … Now. Imagine Northern NSW becoming like the Gold Coast…. Is that what our Mayor wants..
Lets face it – 30 years ago (earlier) when the first call outs about future climate problems surfaced by the environmental scientists, the money men, the capitalists and the rest of the earth destructive clans, turned a blind eye and ear to them – and so we have TODAY. Look at the reality> For the few $$$’s of profit they will make today on the site, in time to come, havoc will fulfil (once again) the environmentalists alarms and common sense. These people – sorry – these destructive destroyers of the planet, are setting the future families up for a horrible horrible future. Even the dollar means more than a safe future for their kids. What a frickken disgusting mob they are! I can tell you right now, killing the frogs is increasing the midgee and mosquito populations multifold. The insect carriers of sickness are going to have a field day ….
Yes linda those scientists are money men
Hooked on taxpayer funded government grants..
Lot’s of money to be had regarding this Climate change emergency..which infact means we are in
Eminent danger ..like call the ambulance…
Please !
The hired security guards were worse- way over the top – using unnecessary violence on peaceful protesters when there was no police oversight. Shame!!
Biggest problem is people keep voting these Muppets in instead of getting on council to stop these developments happening . furthermore.though councils don’t have a lot of power with state and federal government basically sidelining councils if they reject a development with planning panels that are stacked in the developers favour . And you only have to think iron gates at Evans head to know greedy developers don’t give up till they get what they want and keep coming back with revised das etc . Bring on September and bring on independents true independents who care for the environment not Labor greens liberal or national party councilors.
There’s been a lot of comment among the many comments I’ve seen about Wallum, talking about so-called ‘rent a crowd’ and professional protestors’ – as if these (mostly) young men and women who have been arrested are being paid to do this. That’s the literal interpretation of these terms but they are phrases usually thrown like confetti by those , shall I say, of a more right-wing view of the world.
Another term the Alt right seems to love is patriotism.
If you to go beyond the Hansonite jingoism of waving a blue flag with the union jack in one corner, then let’s take a look at those who stand up and want to do the best thing for the country by protecting what’s left of the natural world from ugly, floodprone inappropriate development. These young kids have bravely stood up to the brute force of the state in the form of the NSW Riot Squad when doing nothing more than carrying out the fundamental right to peaceful protest, They are not directly affected by Wallum themselves. In fact, like rest of us, we can all carry on in the blissful ignorance of just how critically the planet is in peril. This little corner of the Northern Rivers is proof of this writ large by just hiw much the natural world has been degraded in just the lifespan of this writer. I’m 63 and was raised on the Far Nieth Coast.
These young people who have been arrested are the true patriots- they may not like the term as it sounds a bit corny and cheesy but they have a temporal, spatial and cultural- I’m talking indigenous here- perspective that needs to be examined, explored and talked about before they are criticised any further.
Police should not be used in these instances. People have a right to protest to protect our environment. THESE PROTESTS WOULD BE AVOIDED if our laws were protective the environment, particularly the everdiminishing wallum areas.
If these protestors spent all their time planting trees instead, imagine the benefits that would have to carbon sinking and biodiversity
could have planted out a whole new forest by now
oh wait, they don’t know how to work hard and are mostly dependant on govt handouts
unbelievable…
Tony, a fresly planted casaurina tree does not equate to a mature tree of fruit bearing age.
Dear Protectors/Echo Zombies stuffed full of misinformation;
If you want to live in a democracy where other people can’t force their views on you, great. Your next action should be to go and do some proper democratic work by campaigning to support your candidates who want the laws changed so this development becomes illegal. Until the day you have enough people in Australia, in NSW, in Byron, that agree with you so that the law is changed, stop whinging, because you are not the majority. You are a loud, whinging minority.
On the other hand, it seems that you want to live in a place where you can force your view on others (not having the brain cells to realise that this also exposes you to the same from others). Your actions in this “blockade” show that this is clearly what you all love to do. Maybe move to China. Or Russia. Or another dictatorship. You’ll all fit right in there.
Why are we all having a toddler tanty when the adults turn up to restore order? It’s called democracy and rule of law. Learn to express your opinion in the public sphere with respect or you will continue to get arrested. Like it or move somewhere else.
What a farce.
Hi Eve ,Yes I am sure that the Byron police were not in attendance , they only come out the front door for RBT once a month !