Friends of the Earth opposes oil and gas exploration in the west

FRIENDS of the Earth has come out strongly against new oil and gas exploration blocks in south-west Victoria, saying the state government should ban the practice in the same way it banned fracking.

The five blocks in the offshore Otway Basin are up to three nautical miles off the coast and extend from Port Campbell to the South Australian border, and are open for tender until February 15.

Friends of the Earth opposes any new onshore or offshore oil or gas production, and says more than 1,300 square kilometres of coastal waters and coastline in western Victoria has been opened up to gas exploration, with the potential for drilling from onshore to access offshore fields, “subject to regulatory approvals”.

“We worked with rural communities in western Victoria to help win the ban on fracking and the moratorium on onshore conventional gas drilling”, Friends of the Earth campaigns coordinator Cam Walker said.

“The ban and moratorium were widely supported because they protect land, water, farming and local economies. Now we
call on the Andrews government to show the same leadership and ban new offshore oil and gas exploration.

“This is the first time Victoria’s western coast has been opened up for onshore drilling since early 2015, when it took place near Peterborough to access two offshore gasfields.”

He said offshore oil brought the risk of an oil spill, which could be disastrous for the marine and coastal environment and local economies that rely on tourism.

“But there are also serious concerns about climate change: science makes it abundantly clear that time is running out if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. Burning fossil fuels for our energy needs is the single most significant driver of global warming.

“The Andrews government did the right thing in establishing the first ever permanent ban on fracking in Australia. It’s time for them to do the right thing on offshore oil and gas.”