Screenings to spotlight Scott Reef gas threat

COMMUNITY screenings in Torquay and Geelong this week will highlight concerns about the future of Scott Reef, a remote coral atoll off the Kimberley coast in Western Australia.

The events will feature Corals’ Last Stand, a new documentary directed by Jane Hammond and featuring Australian Marine Conservation Society patron Tim Winton. The film tells the story of Scott Reef and the campaign to protect it from Woodside Energy’s Browse gas project.

Patagonia Torquay will host a screening today (Friday, August 29) from 6pm to 7.30pm and at The Pivotonian Cinema in Geelong tomorrow (Saturday, August 30) from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Scott Reef, located 270km off the Kimberley coastline, is home to pygmy blue whales, green and hawksbill turtles, and the endangered dusky sea snake. Conservation groups say the drilling and carbon storage projects would damage the fragile reef and contribute to climate change.

Australian Marine Conservation Society fossil fuels campaign manager Louise Morris said Scott Reef was one of the most unknown and unique coral wonders in Australia’s oceans”

“It’s a place very few of us will get to see in person, where pygmy blue whales feed on their migration south and genetically distinct green sea turtles return to nest every year,” she said.

“The federal Environment Minister currently has this proposal on his desk for approval. He has the chance to use his powers to protect this fragile reef, which has never been impacted by fossil fuel development, and save Scott Reef.”

Morris said the screenings aimed to give communities across the east coast a chance to see the reef’s marine life on screen and take action.

“We’re hoping people take away how precious our ocean is, and that we must do all we can to protect it from fossil fuel industrialisation,” she said.

Each screening will include a panel discussion with campaigners and an opportunity for the community to take part in the national Save Scott Reef campaign.

The Browse project is before state and federal regulators for environmental approval.

For more details, head to marineconservation.org.au/events