Vic coal protesters end eight-hour sit-in

After eight hours locked together on the ground floor of Ted Baillieu’s office four anti-coal protesters ended their sit-in when the Victorian premier’s chief of staff Tony Nutt agreed to talk with them.

The protesters, who began their sit-in with six people at 11am (AEST) on Tuesday but finished up with four at 7pm, told Mr Nutt that they believed the premier had reneged on the climate change promises he made before last year’s election.

Quit Coal spokesman Dominic O’Dwyer said it was a “second best” meeting but they were able to get their point across.

They were angry that Mr Baillieu had reduced the 10-year 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse emissions target to five per cent.

His government has also announced plans to increase brown coal production and dumped planned emissions restrictions on new coal-fired power stations.

“There is a lot of pressure on the government to rethink their policies,” Mr O’Dwyer told AAP.

“The government has been dishonest about its climate change policy and has reneged on its commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20 per cent.”

Jane Morton, aged in her late 50s, was one of the original six who walked into the government’s head office building in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, sat down and locked their necks together with bicycle D-locks.

Ms Morton emerged about two hours later, voluntarily unlocking because she had to go to work, while another protester, Jessica Gartlan, 25, pulled out after five hours with a sore neck.

“We all just feel very strongly he has misled the electorate, presented himself (before the 2010 election) as a small g Green who supported a 20 per cent reduction in emissions,” Ms Morton told reporters.

“Instead he’s gone hell for leather at the brown coal reserves.”

Mr Baillieu said emissions reduction was best achieved at a national level.

“But there will always be somebody who has a different view and I would encourage anybody who wants to protest to do it lawfully and not cause disruption to other people,” he told reporters.

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