PEP-11, GAS RIGS OFF SYDNEY AND ONE WOMAN’S GRASSROOTS FIGHT TO PROTECT PLANET OCEAN
Grassroots activism is all about the power of the people - the ability to harness local collective action at the regional, national and international level - and effect meaningful change from the bottom up.
The culture of environmental activism in Australia in general is relatively young in comparison with other developed nations, but since climate change and environmental conservation entered the political discourse, it quickly deepened its roots. Since the 1960s, the Australian environmental movement has had notable success in infiltrating federal politics influencing corporate practice - Australia was the first country in the world to have a Green Party.
In the 1970s, protests over the Lake Pedder damming project garnered worldwide attention, and the environmental movement in Australia was fortified when Bob Brown was jailed for his vocal opposition. The subsequent Franklin Dam project proposal in the early 1980’s was successfully thwarted after what is considered one of the Australian environmental movement’s most significant moments, when in December 1982, the dam site was occupied by protesters leading to widespread arrests and media attention. Under banners reading “Think Globally, Act Locally”, “You Have Entered Aboriginal Land”, and “No Dams”, allied groups successfully won the protection of the Gordon River.
Growth and achievements
Fast forward to 2020, and there are a myriad of grassroots movements all over the country, using new communication technologies and innovative actions to achieve important wins on specific issues and bolster the intersectionality of interrelated goals and demands. From biodiversity protection, to opposing nuclear testing and uranium mining, protecting indigenous land rights, and reducing Australia’s fossil fuel reliance, the necessity for continuing to expand and strengthen grassroots activism can be easily understood against the backdrop of decades of federal economic policy that continues to put finite fossil fuels at it’s centre.
Fight for the Bight, who orchestrated a paddle out that is now known as the single biggest coastal environmental action in Australian history, began as a tiny grassroots initiative to bring awareness to the issue. Earlier this year, an enormous win was achieved when Norwegian energy company Equinor, the fourth Big Oil name in four years to abandon oil extraction in the Bight, withdrew their plans. The Stop Adani movement similarly began with grassroots community action and evolved into a nationwide alliance of over 100 Stop Adani groups that have forced discussion about the Sustainable Development Goals into local elections.
Grassroots activism and the future of offshore oil and gas exploration in New South Wales
Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP 11) is an area of 4500 square kilometres off the coastline of New South Wales between Sydney and Newcastle. The area was first surveyed in 1981 and began development in 2010 with testing conducted by Australian group Advent Energy who signalled the existence of large gas deposits under the sea floor detected through seismic testing.
For the gas extraction to proceed, the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administration must allow the permit holders to switch from seismic testing to drilling. They will need approval from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) to do this, and the PEP 11 permit, which is due to expire next year, must be extended.
New research conducted has found that seismic testing, which involves using loud blasts to map the seabed, has resulted in a 99.5 percent reduction in whiting catch and a 71 percent decrease in flathead catch at Lakes Entrance in Victoria within just one year since testing began. It has also been linked to large-scale beaching events and found to be extremely damaging to marine biodiversity of all kinds. For whales and other marine mammals, sound is central to their sensory lives, used to communicate, hunt, and navigate. Watch this informative video for more information on the science and consequences of seismic blasting.
Australia is currently the world’s largest exporter of liquid natural gas. A three fold increase in exports over the last five years has increased domestic gas prices exponentially while our gas reserves are affordably purchased elsewhere. The Federal Government has recommended large investment in gas infrastructure as part of the National Covid Coordination Commission's (led by director of Strike Energy Ned Power) recommendations for economic recovery. The draft plans call for the dissolving of green and red tape on gas development, standards on equipment and environmental regulations. New gas projects that passed state-level environmental standards would be able to go ahead without federal approval under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act.
Introducing Save Our Coast
In this week’s episode of the Ocean Impact Podcast Tim Silverwood speaks with Save Our Coast founder Natasha Deen. Save Our Coast began in 2018 in opposition to the seismic testing being conducted by Advent Energy, and has been successful in bringing the testing to a stop. But last year, Advent Energy and Bounty Oil and Gas announced that while they would halt the testing, they would move straight onto efforts to get the necessary approvals to begin drilling.
Natasha’s campaigning started with a cardboard sign and a hand-written petition at a local market. She has since evolved her skills to: building a contemporary campaign website and social media; developing strategic relationships with non-profits, councils and politicians; engaging with the media and building a community to support her on the mission. And all on the ‘smell of an oily rag’ and no previous campaigning experience.
In the words of our host Tim Silverwood “Natasha is the embodiment of the grassroots campaigner that’s within everyone who loves the ocean dearly and believes in standing up to defend it”
Save Our Coast is encouraging Australians to sign their petition and write to their local MPs and demand that the PEP 11 permit be terminated and to oppose seismic testing in other parts of the country. So far almost 60,000 people have participated.
We encourage you to listen to this intriguing episode of The Ocean Impact Podcast and to do your part for grassroots activism and protecting what is precious to you.
Listen to the full podcast interview with Dr Natasha Deen here:
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