Six protesters with giant inflatable ‘poo’ emojis have been arrested for occupying an ANZ branch in Brisbane’s CBD, demanding the bank rule out funding a pipeline to carry gas from the Northern Territory to Queensland.
Fri 2 Oct 2026 16.30 AEST
Photo: Rising Tide
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Six protesters with giant inflatable ‘poo’ emojis have been arrested for occupying an ANZ branch in Brisbane’s CBD, demanding the bank rule out funding a pipeline to carry gas from the Northern Territory to Queensland.
Rising Tide said its members refused to leave the Creek Street branch when asked by staff and the police.
The group said it used the inflatables to deliver its verdict on ANZ’s climate policy.
“It’s crap,” said Rising Tide spokesperson Dr Linda Selvey.
“We’re bringing the giant poos because sometimes you need to make a serious point in a way that people can’t miss.”
Photo: Rising Tide
The proposed 1,561-kilometre North to East Australia (NEA) pipeline would connect the NT’s Beetaloo Sub‑basin to its existing Southwest Queensland pipeline.
Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac have ruled out directly funding the pipeline, according to Market Forces, leaving ANZ as the only big four bank yet to do so.
If the project goes ahead, campaigners say it would drive a major expansion of fracking in the Beetaloo Basin, making it the highest-emitting gas field in Australia’s history.
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“ANZ has an opportunity in November to clean up its climate policy and rule out funding the NEA pipeline,” said Dr Selvey.
“This is a huge decision for ANZ. They can choose to clean up their act, or keep backing the expansion of gas and fracking.”
According to Rising Tide, ANZ CEO Nuno Matos and board members are due to meet in the first week of November to decide upon their 2026 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies.
Gas from the Beetaloo Sub-basin began flowing just last month, with the Tamboran Resources Shenandoah South project delivering the first gas into the NT market.
The NT Government described the basin as “one of the world’s most significant onshore gas reserves, containing an estimated 430 trillion cubic feet of gas in place, enough to meet Australian gas demand for 200 years”.
Climate Integrity said if it was all to be burned, it would release approximately 23 billion tonnes of CO₂, more than 50 years of Australia’s entire annual emissions, and roughly a sixth of the world’s remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.
Rising Tide said it was “time to escalate our defence of the climate by joining together to take mass direct action against the biggest threat to our future”.
It recently occupied ANZ’s Brisbane boardroom, where six protesters were arrested after calling on the bank to rule out funding the NEA pipeline.
“We’re here with the poos to remind them that their customers and communities are watching,” said Dr Selvey.
