Ep. 21 - Mobilising the community to protect what is precious with Dr Natasha Deen
Dr Natasha Deen was going about her everyday life in Newcastle, Australia when a profound call to arms stopped her in her tracks and sent her down a path of grassroots ocean activism. The call was deafening - it was the prospect of a relentless seismic testing regime that would blast 260+ decibel signals through the deep ocean off the coast of Newcastle in the search for vast deposits of oil and gas. The same deep ocean where the whales, dolphins and other marine she loved so dearly called home and habitat.
It was 2018 when Natasha answered this call and embarked on a journey that would change the course of her life. Natasha started a campaign called ‘Stop Seismic Testing Newcastle’ that later evolved into Save Our Coast. For two and a half years Natasha has put life on hold to pursue the campaign to end seismic testing in the PEP-11 (petroleum exploration permit-11) zone encompassing over 4500km2 of ocean between Sydney in Newcastle.
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”. And it’s clear that grassroots activism around the Australian coast is making an impact. From the success of the ‘Fight for the Bight’ campaign to the recent decision to stop the seismic testing in PEP-11.
But, there’s a new side to this story - the permit holders are now attempting to bypass further exploration and proceed directly to gas extraction off the NSW Central Coast. Learn all about the new focus of the Save Our Coast campaign and what Natasha would like you do to help in this episode of The Ocean Impact Podcast.
Click below to listen to this episode on:
