Four weeks later,lawyers for Woodside sent letters to Morrissey and another Disrupt Burrup Hub protester,Joana Partyka,who was not at Woodside’s premises on June 1,threatening to sue both women.
The letter from Allens partners Philip Blaxill and Richard Lilly to Partyka demanded she hand over documents that could identify others involved in planning the incident,so they could also be sued.
Partyka said in a statement the letter was an attempt to threaten and intimidate peaceful climate campaigners.
“This isn’t really about some cleaning costs at Woodside headquarters – it’s about brand damage to Woodside who have lost their social licence to operate the Burrup Hub,” she said.
“This legal threat is completely unprecedented and shows that the Disrupt Burrup Hub campaign is working.”
The letter,seen by this masthead,said the aim of the stench was to “shut down business as usual for Woodside” and that it “occurred against a background of multiple protest actions carried out by persons associated with the ‘Disrupt Burrup Hub’ group,including you,with the clear intention of causing Woodside financial harm”.
The Burrup Hub is a group of gas developments on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region that will use gas from offshore fields operated by Woodside.