Outstanding charges for 125 people arrested after a November 2024 protest at the Port of Newcastle on the NSW central coast were formally withdrawn by police on Friday.
A further 129 people still face charges over a repeat protest in 2025.
As part of the multi-day 2024 protest, a large group paddled kayaks into the channel to block coal ships from entering, with organisers Rising Tide calling it one of the largest civil disobedience protests in Australian history.
The demonstrators were calling on the federal government to rule out new coal and gas mines and for a 78 per cent tax on coal and gas exports.
About 200 people were arrested for refusing requests by officers to clear the channel, police said at the time.
All of those charged faced two offences including breaching anti-protest laws, which carry a maximum penalty of $22,000 fine or two years in prison.
Among those charged was neuroscientist Elizabeth Manning, who said the current state government's attempts to squash protests were undemocratic and out of line with community expectations.
Due to having charges against her, Dr Manning was unable to travel to Canada to deliver a seminar at an international conference.
"It has been really stressful with this hanging over us," she told reporters outside court.
"I don't feel like I'm a criminal ... I took action on that day because the climate crisis is a real emergency."
NSW Police said the decision to withdraw the charges took into account the outcomes of cases already determined by the court, and the available evidence in the remaining prosecutions.
Three people are yet to finalise their charges over the 2024 action, with their matters listed for judgment in September.
Climate Defenders founder Julie Grix, whose organisation represented many of those charged, said Australia leads the world for arresting climate protesters.
"That statistic alone is alarming, but it captures nothing of the long, anxious road that follows for those who then have to navigate the criminal justice system," she said.
Another of those whose charges were dropped on Friday was Naomi Hodgson, a spokesperson for Rising Tide.
She said the action arose from governments failing to respond to the climate crisis with the urgency it demands.
"Nobody wants hundreds of peaceful people facing criminal charges for trying to protect their future," she said.
"Until there is a serious, just plan to move beyond coal, this movement will continue to grow."
12°C