A WA court has granted violence restraining orders against a group of climate activists who allegedly targeted the home of Woodside Energy’s chief executive.

August 23, 2023

A court has issued violence restraining orders against a group of climate activists over a failed protest at the Woodside Energy boss’s family home, with claims it muzzles free speech and misuses the justice system.

The gas company said the interim orders were issued against four activists allegedly involved in the action outside chief executive Meg O’Neill’s Perth residence earlier in the month.

“These orders were sought to protect Ms O’Neill’s family’s safety,” a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

They prevent the activists, who are part of the Disrupt Burrup Hub campaign, from commenting publicly about Ms O’Neill or the alleged attempted protest outside her house that was foiled by West Australian counter-terrorism police.

The protesters were previously charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and granted bail with strict conditions that prevent them from approaching Ms O’Neill or Woodside property.

The orders’ conditions state the activists must not make reference to Ms O’Neill by any electronic means, including via the internet and social media.

They are also prevented from causing or allowing others to refer to Ms O’Neill or protest outside her home.

Woodside said they were standard conditions to prevent Ms O’Neill from being harassed or referred to offensively.

“This does not prevent any of them from talking publicly about Woodside and our operations to any media outlets,” the spokeswoman said.

Disrupt Burrup Hub said the move was a clear attempt by Woodside to silence its campaign from drawing attention to Woodside’s “dangerous” expansion of its Burrup Hub facilities.

The group’s lawyer, Zarah Burgess, said it was an extraordinary attempt to gag climate campaigners and a misuse of the court system.

“I have never before seen a VRO used in this way,” she said.

“The intended purpose for granting VROs is to protect people, predominantly women and children, usually in the context of family violence.”

The Human Rights Law Centre said Woodside’s use of restraining orders to “silence” climate activists was unprecedented.

It said there were no accusations the protesters used or threatened violence against anyone at Woodside.

“These orders send the message that people who speak out against multibillion-dollar fossil fuel companies can expect to be intimidated and silenced through court proceedings,” said Alice Drury, the centre’s acting legal director.

It comes as Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of WA prepare to lead a community vigil outside Woodside’s Perth headquarters on Wednesday to demand the gas company stop seismic blasting for the hub’s development.

“Woodside’s dangerous plans include dredging the seabed and conducting seismic blasting that can seriously harm whales and other wildlife,” a spokeswoman said.

Greenpeace said a Woodside tugboat hit a whale calf in the Port of Dampier on August 10.

The Burrup Peninsula, located in WA’s Pilbara region and known as Murujuga to traditional owners, contains the world’s largest and oldest collection of petroglyphs.

Disrupt Burrup Hub claims Woodside’s operations in the area and its proposed expansion form the biggest new fossil fuel project in the country and could produce billion of tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2070.

It has carried out a series of actions against Woodside this year include the release of stench gas at its Perth headquarters in June, forcing the evacuation of about 2000 staff.