Climate activists who targeted Woodside boss Meg O’Neill’s home admit to trying to trespass, damage her house

Climate activists who targeted the family home of Woodside boss Meg O’Neill armed with a bucket of paint, a padlock and an ABC Four Corners film crew have admitted trying to trespass and damage her house — but say they do not regret their actions. Matilda Lane-Rose, Gerard James Mazza, Jesse Sandover Noakes, Emil Davey, who are all part of the Disrupt Burrup Hub protest group, faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday where it was revealed the more serious charge against them – conspiracy to commit an indictable offence — had been dropped. The quartet then pleaded guilty to their remaining charges, which include attempting to trespass and damage the property. However, two others members, Joana Veronika Partyka and Tahlia Madeleine Stolarski, who were not at Ms O’Neill’s home on August 1, 2023 and were charged three months later with conspiring to commit and indictable offence, told the court they intended to fight the allegation against them. During the hearing, Mazza, Lane-Rose, Noakes and Davey admitted they intended to unlawfully damage Ms O’Neill’s front driveway, garage door and brick wall. They also admitted they intended to trespass on her property. However, before the group could carry out their plan – which was controversially being filmed by the Four Corners crew – they were arrested by armed police who were waiting for them. At a previous hearing, the court was told the quartet had congregated outside Ms O’Neill’s coastal mansion during the early hours of August 1 while she was getting ready to go to work with the Four Corners film crew in tow. That hearing was told in the days before the incident, they had carried out surveillance on the house with CCTV from the Woodside boss’ home showing Davey and Noakes in the vicinity on July 29, 2023. Footage from the night before also showed Davey at the rear fence of the house. Outside court, Lane-Rose said she did not regret her actions saying she was “standing up” for her future and “standing up against Woodside”. “The Burrup Hub is like a climate bomb,” she said. “It is the biggest fossil fuel project currently in front of ministers in Australia for approval. “Our Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, she is going to make the decision on the 28th of February whether this project gets approved or not. And for my sake, for the sake of all young people in Australia, for the sake of all Australians, I sincerely hope she doesn’t go through with it.” When asked if she thought that by targeting the family home of Ms O’Neill, she and her co-offenders crossed a line, Lane-Rose said she did not. “I think no matter with the climate movement, something’s always going to be a step too far,” she said. “We’re talking about people’s homes, there’s going to be 1 billion people displaced by climate change by the time we reach 2050, a year, which the Northwest shelf will still have another 20 years of operation. “I think Meg O’Neill is just as guilty of targeting people’s homes as I am. Every fossil fuel CEO is just as guilty of targeting people’s homes as I am.” Ms Stolarski and Ms Partyka said they were shocked they were charged in relation to the incident despite not being at Ms O’Neill’s home. They said they had understood they had been charged after the ABC handed over its footage in relation to the incident. The ABC was heavily criticised for its flagship current affairs program being present at the planned protest however it defended its journalists saying they were there to gather material for a potential report later that year. The national broadcaster also said at the time those working on the program received a tip to go to an address “just prior” to the action occurring and had no knowledge of what was there, including that it was Ms O’Neill’s house. Lane-Rose, Noakes, Mazza and Davey will be sentenced in February.