Joana Partyka: Burrup Hub activist has conspiracy charge over Meg O’Neill’s City Beach home stunt dropped

A climate activist who was prosecuted over a thwarted stunt at the City Beach home of Woodside boss Meg O’Neill has had her charge dropped. Joana Partyka was accused of being part of a group of Disrupt Burrup Hub members who plotted to vandalise the executive’s western suburbs home in August 2023. But police were already waiting when Gerard Mazza, Matilda Lane-Rose and Jesse Noakes arrived, armed with four litres of yellow paint and a bicycle lock. Ms Partyka and Tahlia Stolarski were not there but were charged, as was Emil Davey for carrying out “reconnaissance” of the premises hours earlier. Ms Partyka had her single charge of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence discontinued in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, under a section of the Criminal Procedure Act used when no evidence has been adduced. Costs of $7000 were awarded to Ms Partyka. Ms Partyka said she had been subject to bail conditions associated with the charge and the discontinuance showed it was “nothing more than a weapon intended to keep me quiet”. Ms Stolarski, however, still faces a trial allocation date on October 7. Lane-Rose and Davey were fined $2000 in February while Noakes was slugged $2500 and Mazza $3500. The trio planned to splash paint — some of which was contained in balloons — on Ms O’Neill’s front driveway, garage door and brick wall while Lane-Rose would lock herself to a gate.