Roger Cook faces defamation threat from teen climate protesters
Two 17-year-old climate protesters are threatening to sue WA Premier Roger Cook for defamation unless he apologises for what they say were “damaging and unsubstantiated” remarks about their behaviour during a protest at Woodside’s annual general meeting last week.
At last week’s meeting, Tom Power and Emma Heyink, both 17, shouted the names of the adult-aged children of Woodside chair Richard Goyder and chief executive Meg O’Neill as they protested the climate impacts of the company’s Burrup Hub development.
Tom Power, left, and Emma Heyink, right, protest at the Woodside AGM on April 24. Credit: 9News Perth
Heyink also accused O’Neill of “killing kids” by pursuing the high-polluting project.
When asked about the use of the names two days later, Cook described it as a “despicable act” and an exercise of intimidation “that was a direct threat and those threats should be taken seriously by police”.
The comments were republished in WAtoday and The West Australian.
A concerns notice – the first step in a defamation action – regarding the comments republished in The West Australian was sent to Cook on Wednesday morning by the teenagers’ law firm Burgess Criminal Lawyers.
In the notice, lawyers Michael Douglas and Zara Burgess claimed the premier took part in “confected” media coverage of the AGM.
They said the meanings conveyed by his comments were that the teenagers made a direct threat against Woodside bosses, threatened their children and committed a crime that should be taken seriously by police.
The notice said the claims were damaging and unsubstantiated.
It also said making them about children was an aggravating factor that could result in any award for damages exceeding the legal cap of $459,000.
“Our clients are conscientious young people yet to make a name for themselves in the world. Their reputation[s] have been seriously injured by their Premier through statewide press before they have even had the chance to vote,” he said.
“This has caused them considerable hurt, distress and anxiety.
“All other things being equal, we cannot imagine you as Premier would intend to cause children to feel that way.”
The notice said the children would drop the action if they received an apology from Cook both in writing and verbally at a press conference and an offer to pay the teenagers’ nominal legal cost of $1.
The defamation threat is the latest escalation in the battle between the Disrupt Burrup Hub activist group, Woodside and the WA government as the activists continue to protest Woodside’s plans to expand its operations in the state’s north-west.
In a statement from Disrupt Burrup Hub, Power said they protested at the AGM to protect children.
“I stood up for my future and appealed to Woodside bosses in the name of their children - some of whom have kids of their own,” they said.
“I was left feeling intimidated by the WA Premier threatening us with a police crackdown – which was a clear attempt to silence us on behalf of Woodside.”
Cook backed himself.
“I’ll always support people’s right to peaceful protest, but it’s never OK to bring somebody’s kids into it – regardless of the cause,” he said.
“I’m not going to spend any more time responding to this.”
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