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Report claims ASIO spying on coal protesters

Greens leader Bob Brown is outraged at reports that ASIO is spying on mining protesters and says such action is a misuse of the spy agency’s resources.

The revelations were reported in Fairfax newspapers this morning and are based on a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism that was reportedly rejected because it involved “an intelligence agency document”.

Senator Brown says Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson should release the documents in question.

“So the public can see just how much he is complicit in having ASIO spy instead of on people threatening this country, on people who have a right to democratically express their opinion,” he said.

Senator Brown says spying on protesters is not on.

“It’s totally outrageous, what’s more that the Minister, Martin Ferguson – a Labor minister at that – is complicit in having ASIO spy on farmers, eco-tourism venturers, wine-growers, the people who are really wanting to protect their lands from this rapid expansion of the fossil fuel industries in farm lands and community precincts around Australia – it is just not on,” he said.

The Fairfax report raises concerns from security officials that anti-coal activists pose a greater threat to energy security than terrorists.

Athol Yates from the Australian Homeland Security Research Centre says that is not the case.

“The simple answer to that is absolutely not unless they are engaged in very destructive behaviour,” he said.

“In the case of most coal protests, it is much more about raising a political awareness of the issue and the costs that are incurred by their behaviour really relate to the delay in coal production or coal transport.”

‘Not much impact’

But he says depending on the way the activities of environmental activists are defined, surveillance by ASIO may be justified.

“If they are classed as a terrorist risk, then it is justified. The question is on what basis is that assessment made?” he said.

“If there is concern that they are going to be involved in physical destruction or inflicting physical harm upon people, then they would be totally justified in surveilling them.”

Cam Walker from environment group Friends of the Earth was involved in an occupation of the coal conveyor belts at Hazelwood power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley in 2009.

He says he is not surprised by the news that ASIO is involved in the surveillance of activists.

But he says protesters have never had much of an impact on energy production.

“There has never been any significant impact on energy supply. There is no essential services argument here. This is really about silencing dissent,” he said.

“The primary focus of direct action has been against the state government, it has been against infrastructure but has not intended to shut down the systems.

“It has been intended to apply political and public pressure so I think the essential services that is shutting down the grid argument is an entire furphy that has been run by people with their own political agenda.”

Mr Ferguson was not available for comment this morning.

ASIO says it cannot confirm whether it has conducted surveillance of anti-coal protesters, but it says it does not target particular groups or individuals unless there is a security-related reason to do so.