While Australian politics continues its descent into absurdity, a young Newcastle Activist is being drawn over hot coals in the Supreme Court for having the affront to interfere with the finances of the Coal Mining industry in Australia.

Earlier this year, Johnathon Moylan, 25, allegedly sent a press release to media outlets claiming Australia and New Zealand Bank had withdrawn a $1.2 billion loan from Whitehaven’s Maules Creek open cut coal mine on ethical grounds. The media release bore the ANZ Bank logo, and the hoax allegedly temporarily wiped $314 million from the miner’s share price.

Moylan was initially expected to face the District Court, but prosecutors successfully applied to have him tried in the Supreme Court. He will stand trial on June 30. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

Moylan is supported by environmentalist groups who have accused Whitehaven of planning to destroy 1360 hectares of koala habitat and forcing farmers off their land through soil damage from the flagship Maules Creek project in north-western NSW.

Now, obviously Moylan was not participating in a fraud in the pursuit of financial gain for himself or any other party, yet he is still seen as a criminal no different to an outright thief by the legal system. His intention was to bring attention to multiple environmental issues simultaneously, not the least of which is the recently elected Governments criminal negligence towards Climate Change. For that reason he has garnered support from thousands of progressive Australians.

It may satisfy those in the pursuit of mindless economics to know that at the end of the day, no money was harmed in Johnathons affront to mindless economics..

If you would like to support Johnathon’s plight in the Australian legal system, & indeed through this inspire more to make similar stands against a defective system hell bent on quashing any complainants, see –

http://www.standwithjono.org/

I should add that the ANZ Bank has just reported its biggest profit, ever, much of which will be used to support the Whitehaven mines, which will go ahead as planned. Yet the Australian Social Services & the Environment are being gutted by a Government so out of touch with reality that even other conservative Western Powers are questioning it..