4 days ago
Climate activists Jesse Noakes, Gerard Mazza fined after Woodside AGM stench gas media stunt
Climate activists who planned to release stench gas in an attempt to cause the evacuation of a Woodside annual general meeting in Perth's CBD have been fined $10,000 each.
Gerard Mazza, Jesse Noakes and Tahlia Stolarski had planned to release the gas at the meeting at Perth's Convention Centre in April 2023, to force the room to be evacuated.
The meeting, which was attended by a few hundred people, saw Woodside executives and investors discuss its controversial climate targets.
The District Court heard Stolarski had ordered canisters of gas and had them delivered to her home.
Mazza went into the Convention Centre to release the gas but, the court heard, was "stopped in his tracks" when police arrested him and seized the canister he had.
An earlier attempt to enter failed when a security guard didn't believe Mazza's false claim he worked in IT for the venue.
Mazza was the principal offender, the court was told, with Stolarski aiding him by obtaining the gas, and Noakes helping through reconnaissance.
The court heard Noakes went to the convention centre days before the meeting was scheduled, and gathered footage.
He'd also provided Mazza with a beanie and jacket to disguise himself when Mazza sought go back into the venue after he was initially ejected.
Stolarski had planned to let off homemade smoke flares outside the building.
Stolarski's lawyer had said the trio's aim was to get media attention.
Judge Craig Astill described them as "misguided, in how they go about trying to achieve their goals" with a history of "nuisance type offending".
He told the court they'd pursued their "good intentions" in an "unlawful way".
The judge said they "were trying to drown out" the voices of those attending the AGM who may have wanted to speak.
The prosecutor said the gas had a strong, easily detectable odour and was toxic to inhale in high concentrations.
The prosecutor had said that while it wasn't suggested the trio set out to hurt people, there seemed to be a lack of acceptance that their plan "did pose risks".
He said a "substantial number" of people aged over 70 were at the meeting.
The trio had pleaded guilty to attempting to create a false belief that would call for action from police or emergency services.
They were initially charged with aggravated burglary, which was downgraded to creating a false belief and downgraded further to attempting to create a false belief.
In sentencing today, Judge Craig Astill said although the plan "clearly failed", they were trying to "create alarm" by making those at the AGM think there was a gas leak.
"You were prepared to put the safety of others at risk," he told Mazza, Stolarski and Noakes.
Speaking to Mazza, who's now 33, he said he'd "started to appreciate the way you have been doing things isn't the way to do it".
But Judge Astill said he didn't think Mazza or the others were remorseful.
And he said the differences in their contributions to the crime "were marginal".
