Two German brothers involved in climate protests which blocked peak hour traffic in Sydney this week will be deported as the NSW government announces a crackdown on disruptive protests.
The men from Climate action group Blockade Australia were arrested after suspending themselves from poles in and around the Port Botany shipping terminal on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Federal Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said they would be deported after their visas were cancelled on "good order grounds".
'So we've cancelled those visas and then the Australian Border Force will be affecting their removal from Australia as soon as possible," he told Sydney radio 2GB.
Meanwhile, the state government has announced protesters who disrupt traffic on any bridge or tunnel in NSW could be slapped with hefty fines of up to $22,000 and two years' jail.
The government promised to crackdown on protesters after the Blockade Australia climate activists pulled off a spate of risky actions that to shut down operations at Port Botany - the state's largest container port - for three consecutive days this week..
On Thursday police arrested a man who was hanging from a pole nine metres above the rail line that serves the port, blocking all container trains in and out.
Acting premier Paul Toole said the government would no longer tolerate the "disgraceful" stunts which disrupted traffic.
"Over the last few days we've seen protesters around this state and clearly they have no respect for the law ... enough is enough," he told reporters.
"These kinds of acts are just disgraceful."
The increased fines and prospect of two years' jail would apply to anyone caught protesting on bridges and roads across the state.
Blockade Australia said Alex Pearse, the 33-year-old man detained on Thursday was suspended off a monopole blocking the rail line to the port.
Given Australia's internationally recognised role in fuelling climate change, Blockade Australia said it was "a necessary response after decades of traditionally climate campaigning has not worked".
The two German men who protested will face court on Thursday.
Roads Minister Nathalie Ward said the disruptions were unacceptable, calling the activists "selfish protesters".
"We respect your right to get your message across but there is no place for protesters on our bridges and tunnels," she told reporters.
The government is pushing for further legislation to deter further protests.
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman went further dubbing them "economic vandals".
"I'm going to make sure that there is an effective deterrent in our law to deal with these economic vandals," he said.
"What we can further is to expand .. legislation to go beyond bridges and tunnels to the road network generally and to transport and industrial facilities"
Blockade Australia has vowed to continue disrupting roads and rail traffic into the port and is calling for a public disruption of Sydney from June 27.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned last month Australia will have more floods, bushfires and droughts and stands to lose entire ecosystems to climate change.
