Protest group denies intimidating pipeline workers
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The Plug the Pipe protest group has denied intimidating workers on Victoria's north-south pipeline.
The Australian Workers Union says a worker was threatened with an iron bar, another had a speeding car swerve at them and workers have also been verbally abused.
The contentious pipe is being built between the Goulburn River and Melbourne, despite strong opposition to the project.
Plug the Pipe spokeswoman Jan Beer says evidence against the project is building, but she says the group has not resorted to threatening behaviour.
"That certainly hasn't come from Plug the Pipe people and I'd say Mr Holding and Mr Brumby are getting rather desperate for a bit of news that is in their favour, because there's certainly now a lot of news all saying this pipeline should not be taking water out of the Murray-Darling Basin," she said.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Water has purchased a large property to offset the destruction of forest for the north-south pipeline.
Some trees in the Toolangi State Forest will be cut down to make way for the pipe.
Project director Rod Clifford says the 820 hectare property north-east of Mount Buller contains high quality forest.
"The property which is 826 hectares is more than 10 times the area that is going to be cleared for construction of the pipe and importantly the area that we will clear, out of that more than half will be revegetated after the pipe is laid as well," he said.
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