Australia: Activists dump dung outside Minister's office, rage over Glasgow climate summit

On Friday, Environmental demonstrators in Australia expressed their dissatisfaction with the UN climate summit in Glasgow by depositing a massive pile of dung outside a Federal government minister's office. Extinction Rebellion activists targeted Finance Minister Simon Birmingham's office in Adelaide, with a pile of dung dumped against the front window of his electorate office in Hilton. The protesters also pasted signboards on the office that read, 'Glasgow was a s***t show' and 'Your gas stinks.'

Birmingham, a South Australian senator, was quick to respond to the stunt on Twitter. "I hate to see unnecessary waste. Any eager western suburbs gardeners are most welcome to help themselves to some spring fertiliser," he tweeted. Shortly after the manure pile was dumped, South Australian police went to the senator's office to control the situation. Extinction Rebellion's stunt came as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet criticised anti-coal organisation Blockade Australia for costing the state's economy by halting freight trains in NSW's Hunter area. 

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet condemns protesters' disruptive measures

Since last Friday, November 5, the group has claimed responsibility for at least eight train track disruptions in the region, reported the Daily Mail. Perrottet explained that when demonstrators adopt disruptive measures, they put themselves in danger as well as the police and emergency services who attend to the situation. Paul Scurrah, chief executive officer of rail freight operator Pacific-National, echoed his remarks, saying that 20 train trips carrying coal and grain had been cancelled as a result of the demonstrations. He stated that each service was worth $1 million in terms of export value to the country. 

It should be mentioned here that International environmental organisations have voiced frustration with the lack of significant progress made at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. The initial draft of the 'final conclusion' text to be agreed upon at the conference was condemned by Greenpeace as 'exceptionally poor.' "It makes no mention of fossil fuels, despite the expert consensus that additional coal, oil, and gas must be phased out promptly to fulfil the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C objectives," Greenpeace said in a statement as reported by the outlet. Notably, Extinction Rebellion has gained a reputation for performing public stunts in Australian towns and around the world as part of its climate change campaign.

Image: Twitter/@Birmo/@Matilda Boseley