SUNDAY’S Dockers-Eagles clash is set to get political with coordinated protests against port privatisation and the Perth freight link.

The maritime union will gatecrash Sunday’s derby with three giant “Don’t privatise Freo port” billboards, driving them around Subiaco prior to bounce down, while Road to Rail volunteers will hand out flyers.

“We were going to hire a plane to fly a banner over the stadium, but it’s meant to be pissin’ down,” MUA WA secretary Chris Cain told the Herald. “Privatisation of the port could drive up costs, ultimately borne by the consumer, and lead to job losses. We’ve teamed up with the road to rail campaigners, because ultimately if the new port road isn’t built, I don’t think it will be privatised.”

Fremantle councillor Sam Wainwright, a leader of the Road to Rail group, made no apology for politicising the footy.

“The Barnett government has no qualms about taking out full-page ads promoting the freight link in local newspapers, so I have no qualms about using the derby to get our message out to a large number of people,” he said.

The port is is expected to go on the market within the next 12 months and fetch around $1.5 billion for the cash-strapped Barnett government.

Having a dedicated freight route in place will make the sale more attractive to investors.

Road to Rail spokesperson Barry Healy says the route isn’t just about locals looking after their patch, saying it “has ramifications for importers, exporters and sustainable transport”.

A new Senate inquiry into the link has been stymied already, with the Barnett government refusing to hand over key documents, citing commercial confidentiality.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK