Sunrise's Nat Barr and Shirvo slam climate protestors: 'Day ruined'

Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington slammed climate protestors in Melbourne and Brisbane for blocking traffic for hours on Tuesday morning.

In Brisbane, a man suspended himself from a nine-metre bamboo tripod on Port of Brisbane Road from about 6.35am on Tuesday before a second man blocked the entrance to the Port of Melbourne an hour later.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic – mostly trucks – banked up for kilometres, as all eastbound lanes were blocked by the structure for more than an hour.

The 26-year-old suspended in Melbourne explained that ports were at the centre of protest efforts because they contributed significantly to climbing carbon emissions.

“I’m not blocking a (commuter) roadway, this is direct route into the port,” he said on the live stream.

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“This is a targeted protest against the Port of Melbourne because it is such a major part of the exploitation of this country.”

Sunrise host Natalie Barr, who has been reporting on similar protests for more than a year, said she understood the importance of climate change but didn’t think this was the right way to bring attention to the cause.

“A man is currently suspended on a pole above the road that leads to the port, so that is blocking all the eastbound lanes," Nat said of the Brisbane protestor. "Underneath that it is peak hour, everyone is trying to get to work. The climate protester is trying to tell everyone climate change exists, obviously an important topic, maybe not right now though in the middle of Tuesday’s peak hour. Have a look at these delays. All the traffic banked up for miles and miles."

"Not happy, Jan, being underneath, stuck in that. One protestor up a pole," Nat added.

"They are going to struggle to get to work today, day ruined," Shirvo quipped.

After 8am, police brought the Brisbane man down with reporter Georgie Chumbley revealing hundreds of motorists were caught up in the fallout.

"It's amazing how much trouble on person can cause," Nat said. "George, he strung himself up on his own teepee did he? Are these protesters walking around with bamboo sticks and stringing themselves up?"

"He actually said in the live stream earlier that he was helped by a number of other protesters," Georgie replied. "Obviously they fled the scene but he strung himself up there at about 6:30am with the help of others, they left and then he's been hanging there ever since, so police have been negotiating with him."

"OK, beware of protesters with big long poles," Nat joked.

With NCA Newswire.

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