Guerilla warfare plans with water battle

POLICE are investigating a battle plan that urges anti-water pipeline activists to use guerilla warfare tactics.
The plan calls on protesters to sabotage the rail network, the highway system and attack the offices of Labor politicians.
Anti pipeline protesters are urged to dump loads of gravel on the train lines at level crossings.
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It also suggests the railway signalling system could be shorted out by putting steel bars into the electrical circuits.
The manifesto suggests highways could be effectively blocked by dumping hard rubbish, such as old car bodies, on roads.
It nominates the Hume Highway at Seymour as a blockade point.
The paper also calls for night-time paint attacks on the offices of state Labor members Ben Hardman at Seymour and Candy Broad at Kyneton.
Anger has brewed over government plans to build a pipe from northern Victoria to move 75 gigalitres of water from the Goulburn River to Melbourne.
Police from Yea and members of the Plug the Pipe organisation are trying to discover the author of the document, fearing adoption of the guerilla tactics could lead to death or serious injury.
Plug the Pipe spokesman Mike Dalmau said he hasn't had any discussions with anyone along the lines of sabotage, and it hasn't been discussed at committee level within the organisation.
"That sort of stuff's not on at all," Mr Dalmau said. "Unfortunately a lot of people are very stressed at the moment.
"This pipeline to them is just a red rag, with the Government not listening or understanding the stresses they're under. There could be social and economic meltdown within the (Goulburn) Valley."
Sen-Constable Scott Morison at Yea Police was handed a copy of the documents yesterday.
"Inquiries at this stage among the pipeline people indicate it's not an authorised document," he said.
"It's not something the Plug the Pipeline people need, given the way they've gone about things so far. They've been pretty much above board."
Another Plug the Pipeline committee member, Bob Richardson, denied the call-to-arms had any official standing.
He said he had no problem with anti-pipeliners making their feelings loudly known, as they did recently by blockading Premier John Brumby and Water Minister Tim Holding on visits to country Victoria, but drew the line at violence or sabotage.
One of the targets of the anti-pipeline plan, State Labor MP Ben Hardman, said debate was fine but the plan went too far.
"I'd be very concerned if there were any people in our community who would conduct the dangerous behaviour suggested," Mr Hardman said.
"I think public debate . . . is healthy but would not condone any kind of behaviour that would put public safety at risk."