George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not all terrorists strap explosives to themselves to prove their political point or to force governments to meet their demands; some activists threaten lives, including their own, by standing in front of a bulldozer or chaining themselves to critical infrastructure, such as a railway line. Such action meets the definition of terrorism in the Criminal Code. In addition to foreign influences that are wishing to do us harm, we now have people living in the country—and even people inside this parliament—who want to destroy our economy and hold the country to ransom. I note the leader of the Greens on the weekend vowed to ramp up protests against Adani's Carmichael coal project. He said:

If we can't stop it in the parliament, we'll stop it by standing in front of those bulldozers.

He said he was prepared to stand in front of bulldozers and get arrested himself. In 2013, his fellow extreme Green activists revealed an 'over our dead bodies' campaign that would see protesters lying on railway lines in cardboard coffins. This Adani project's been approved by state and federal governments. It's seen off every legal challenge that the ecoterrorists have been able to throw at it. Instead of facing facts, these petulant toddlers are throwing a tantrum and chucking their toys out of the pram. They are worse than toddlers. Not only are they threatening to break the law, disrupting legitimate business operations; they are putting lives and livelihoods at risk. I hope these law-breakers are arrested, charged and convicted of offences, especially the one in the Senate, with a penalty exceeding a year's imprisonment.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 43, the time for members' statements has concluded.