Jade Jungwirth
Climate activist Trevor Scott appeared at Castlemaine Magistrates Court last Friday after gluing himself to the former federal treasurer’s Melbourne electoral office in August last year.
The protest was initiated by Extinction Rebellion (a movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act on the Climate and Ecological Emergency) and came about when a group of youth climate activists sued then environment minister Sussan Ley for her approval to expand Vickery Coal Mine in central NSW.
In a win for climate activists, the judge in the case ruled against the minister, in what became known as the ‘duty of care’ case. The decision was ultimately overturned following a Federal Court appeal.
“I and my fellow Extinction Rebellion activists, at that time, were outraged by the minister’s decision,” Trevor said.
“We believed that by appealing, the minister was admitting that she didn’t have a duty of care to the young activists, nor future generations.
“So, in the lead up to the federal election, I super glued myself to a marble-faced column at Josh Frydenberg’s office, to highlight the fact that his government did not have a ‘duty of care’.”
Andrew Cowell, a fellow activist and friend of Trevor, told the Express the Castlemaine local used super glue that lasted for five or six hours, which meant police weren’t able to arrest him until his hand came loose.
“It’s important we have the right to protest and to hold the minister accountable for her actions,” Andrew said.
Trevor, who appeared at the Castlemaine court wearing a T-shirt with the words, ‘I do it for my grandchildren’ emblazoned on the front, pled not guilty to a charge of wilful damage. The charges were dismissed and Trevor was ordered to pay $100 to the court fund.
“I’ve been an activist for quite a few years,” Trevor said.
“It’s a pretty thankless task with very few wins. It was very gratifying to have the children win the case in NSW and to have that overturned is awful.”
