A climate activist group is holding a protest over several days in Newcastle in New South Wales. The Rising Tide organisation is behind the event, which last year saw more than 100 people arrested at the world's biggest coal port.
00:00Thousands of protesters have gathered here in Newcastle calling for an end to the coal industry and more action on climate change.
00:10The organisers of the protest group Rising Tide are aiming to make this year's blockade the biggest climate protest in Australia's history,
00:18with more than 7,000 people expected to turn out.
00:21Already here on Newcastle Foreshore, hundreds of people have set up camp, with the local council approving the nearby park as a campsite.
00:29Last year, thousands of people attended the three-day protest, which saw hundreds take to the water in canoes and flotillas to block coal ships coming in and out of the port of Newcastle.
00:40More than 100 people were arrested and charged from that protest and are still before the court.
00:45This year, the state government has put an exclusion zone in place on the harbour. It will remain in place until early Monday morning.
00:53Police have put buoys in the water, asking boats and swimmers not to go beyond them.
00:58A Rising Tide spokesperson says they're calling on the government to tax the coal industry, stop approving new coal and gas projects and facilitate renewable jobs.
01:08This is what a Rising Tide spokesperson had to say about an exclusion zone located 100 metres offshore.
01:15We think that the exclusion zone is an unreasonable attempt to repress climate protesters.
01:20Our intention here is to have a protest that draws attention to our government's failure on the climate crisis.
01:26Hundreds are expected to take to the water today. Police have issued a statement urging protesters to follow safety advice and to avoid entering the harbour with the intention of obstructing users of the port.
01:38A high visibility police operation remains in place and police say there will be zero tolerance for dangerous and illegal behaviour.
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