Gas hub protesters warned of business impact

Posted October 23, 2012 15:13:27

A visiting Broome magistrate has asked anti-Kimberley gas hub protesters to consider the financial effect they are having on the Broome community.

Access to several businesses was blocked earlier this month after a man staged a protest on an eight-metre pole outside the Woodside office.

The Kimberley Physiotherapy office next door had to cancel appointments when police cordoned off the area.

Three people appeared in court on Friday for their role in the protest where they were fined up to $500 each and had expensive climbing gear confiscated.

Magistrate Robert Young appeared frustrated when addressing the trio, suggesting the ongoing fines were a waste of money and could be better spent on their cause.

He also drew attention to revenue their latest protest cost and questioned their ability to pay back previous protest-related fines.

Meanwhile, Kimberley Physiotherapy says it will be unable to recoup thousands of dollars lost in revenue.

Office manager Frances McGregor says it is disappointing the protests are having wider side effects.

"The actions that some people are taking to make people aware of that is actually having a negative impact on businesses like ours.

"People were arriving for their appointments and being stopped at the tape across the road and being told they couldn't get through.

"After a weekend the impact of that was pretty disastrous really because we had full books ... we were already working on a four-day week instead of a five day, so it caused major disruptions."

Topics: courts-and-trials, crime, business-economics-and-finance, activism-and-lobbying, broome-6725