Drew Hutton with fellow Greens co-founder and wife Libby Connors last year.
Veteran environmental campaigner Drew Hutton has been arrested and charged after protesting against the coal seam gas industry on a property near Tara in southwest Queensland.
Police this evening confirmed Mr Hutton had been charged with the "obstruction of a petroleum authority holder" and would appear in the Chinchilla Magistrates Court tomorrow.
He had been arrested about 2.20pm at Wieambilla, north of Tara.
Landowners near Tara, west of Dalby, had warned that protesters would form a blockade to stop a Queensland Gas Company pipeline coming into the community.
Mr Hutton's wife, Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors, earlier told brisbanetimes.com.au her husband was arrested after refusing to move and remained in custody this afternoon.
She said the "Lock the Gate" blockade took place on a private property with the landowner's permission, but legislation meant the company had right of access.
Mr Hutton was a co-founder of the Australian Greens and Queensland Greens.
It was the second consecutive day of drama at the Tara Estate protest.
Yesterday, protesters formed a human barricade in an attempt to prevent the Queensland Gas Company from building a 16-kilometre pipeline to take coal seam gas from five wells on the estate to the nearby Kenya gas processing plant.
Friends of the Earth member and fellow campaigner Cassie McMahon said Mr Hutton was among about 25 people at the site today.
Ms McMahon said a large number of police officers arrived on the scene this afternoon.
"They told us under ... the Petroleum and Gas Act that we were not allowed to be there and that we had to leave the premises," she said.
"The remainder of us were in the process of departing when he [Mr Hutton] was arrested.
"Drew Hutton has refused the bail conditions and could be in custody for 30 days at the Toowoomba watch house."
Ms McMahon, who yesterday chained herself to a bulldozer as part of the protest, said campaigners were undeterred by the developments today.
"I'm very surprised that landholders do not have the ability to invite people to stay on their property to protect their property," Ms McMahon said.
"It leaves us feeling even more determined that we need people power to prevail and force the current laws to be changed to protect property holders' rights, as long as the long term impact on our land and water."
A QGC spokesman said the company had been happy to sit down with people to discuss their concerns.
"We do not believe that the protest is helpful either to us or the protesters themselves – we don't believe this is the way to resolve anything," he said this evening.
"And in relation to the approvals, the works that we are doing are approved under Queensland legislation. Half of the work that we are doing is on QGC property; the remainder is done on property for which we have entered agreements to access with the landholders, including compensation arrangements."
www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au
COMMENT: This is the same heavy-handed approach taken by the police over a legitimate environmental cause which they took at Redbank in 1989 when protesters took action against a proposed radioactive waste dump in the suburb. The State Member for Bundamba Bob Gibbs, the Environment Minister Pat Comben and the local Councillor Paul Tully were among those arrested during a 12-month campaign against the National Party State Government, a campaign which was ultimately successful. QGC are acting disgracefully over this issue.
