Western Australia’s Police Commissioner has vowed to look into a police raid on the home of a journalist after the media union accused police of “harassment”.
Ngaarda Media journalist Eliza Kloser was stopped twice by police on Friday while taking photographs of the removal of sacred Murujuga artefacts.
The removal of the artefacts is to make way for the controversial development of a $6bn chemical plant on the Burrup Peninsula.
Kloser said she was initially stopped and quizzed by police and then stopped again where she was breathalysed, her car searched and questioned again about her camera.
Hours later her home was searched as part of an investigation into colleague and housemate Gerard Mazza, who had been charged in relation to a protest at the Woodside AGM.
She says her camera was again searched and an SD card seized.
Ms Kloser says she doesn’t believe her photographs have any relevancy to the protest.
“It’s concerning that police are increasing searches like this and stopping journalists in their car when they are doing this kind of work.
We live in a democracy and we should be allowed to go and report on things that the government is doing, that mining companies are doing, and we should be able to report that back to the public without being harassed by the police.
