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Activist admits to sabotage of central Queensland cattle operation

22 September 2023

An activist from the unlawful protest camp on Bravus Mining and Resources’ Mining Lease near Clermont in central Queensland has plead guilty to interfering with stock gates and cattle grazing in the area. Clermont Magistrates Court heard this week that Noah Busiko, 21, had confessed to Queensland Police that on 18 April 2023 he forced open, and then pinned back, a cattle gate being used to manage a local beef producer’s cattle breeding programs and stop the valuable animals from walking onto a public road. Mr Busiko also admitted he then attempted to hide his actions by using cow excrement to obscure a nearby security camera, damaging it in the process. The Court heard that after admitting his guilt, Mr Busiko was put into the Queensland Police Services’ Adult Cautioning pathway, and that he has been listed as an offender in the QPRIME police database. Mr Busiko’s offending occurred at a time other activists at the camp were making comments on social media that the operation of pastoral leases and cattle grazing are a ‘limitation of their rights’ and they were in the “biggest fight” with local pastoralists. In one video posted to social media from the unlawful protest camp, activist Coedie McAvoy** complained: “why does (sic) cattle get rights over us?” “This system is like, oh, well, they could say, ‘oh well you chose to live here’. And I said, well, I didn’t choose to live here. They chose to have their cattle in here,” Mr McAvoy said in the video. “… cattle is (sic) a limitation of my rights, because it’s an economic benefit.” Bravus Mining and Resources installed the security cameras after local graziers told the company the activists’ behaviour had made them fear for the welfare of their people, including young jillaroos, following heated interactions between some pastoral workers and activists about cattle on the land. “Local graziers told us they believed the activists had been interfering with cattle and gates and had allegedly had an angry verbal exchange with a jackeroo, so we installed security cameras to help keep our people, neighbours, and their cattle and property safe,” the spokesperson said. “One of these cameras filmed Mr Busiko as he sabotaged stock gates, behaviour which has disrupted cattle breeding and let cattle loose into the public road reserve where the valuable animals risk being struck by passing traffic and injured or killed. “For months we’ve raised the alarm about the activists’ increasingly dangerous and anti-social behaviour towards our workers, Traditional Owners, and public figures, and now they appear to want to abolish grazing in central Queensland because farmers and cattle are a ‘limitation of their human rights’.  “It’s time the Queensland Government stepped in and removed the unauthorised protest camp from our mining lease to protect the rights of law-abiding miners and pastoralists to go to work and do their job without fear of activist intimidation, harassment, or sabotage.” ENDS Download PDF **Mr McAvoy is also facing criminal charges for the alleged assault of an Indigenous environmental ranger and a security guard as the pair went about their lawful work on our Mining Lease in February. The two counts of common assault brought against Mr McAvoy by Queensland Police over that incident are still before the courts. EDITORS’ NOTES: The vision of Mr Busiko damaging the stock gates and camera: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/831110721/26e23ff85b Mr McAvoy’s comments on social media about his fight with local graziers: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/831757972/9c436d5cb0.   The link to the original livestream in which the comments were made: https://fb.watch/kRkQqncVPN/  Other activity from the unlawful protest camp on Bravus Mining & Resources’ mining lease: Mr McAvoy’s alleged assault of Bravus workers and his public threats to Bravus’ indigenous workforce via his social media channels is available: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/802945300/e96b048d1a Activist from the unauthorised protest camp on our mining lease blocking our female worker in her vehicle – activists shout obscenities at our female worker: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/649282144/920f655848 Activist with Socialist Alternative megaphone intimidating our female worker and stopping workers from getting to work or home to their families: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/649803659/82f728e84d Activist driving dangerously on our mining lease and damaging environmental safeguards: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/651321283/78c0a98c89 Activists landing a chartered helicopter without notice or authorisation on the mining lease – within 100m of our operational open-cut mine and within the restricted zone of our airport: https://vimeo.com/user73546893/download/652750957/b67f52541b About the Carmichael mine The Carmichael mine is producing high quality coal for export to nations around the world that want to lift their people out of energy poverty. The mine continues to safely and efficiently ramp up to a consistent rate of production which is in the order of 10 million tonnes per annum. Townsville and Rockhampton remain the primary employment hubs for the Carmichael mine and we continue to recruit workers who can drive to site from the Isaac Region. More than 2,600 people were employed and more than A$2 billion paid to regional Queensland contractors and businesses since construction began on the Carmichael project in 2019. Although the primary construction phase is finished, Carmichael still has more than 750 people on site at any time while another third are on days off. Carmichael coal is sold into the international seaborne export market and its ultimate destination depends on market demand. (ends)...