One year on, Surf Coast marks seismic victory – and warns the fight’s not over

A YEAR after thousands paddled out at Torquay’s Cosy Corner to oppose offshore seismic blasting, Greens candidate for Corangamite Mitch Pope returned to the same beach last Sunday to reflect on the campaign’s success — and warn that the fight isn’t over.

Last September, seismic data giant TGS officially withdrew its plan to conduct what would have been the largest seismic blasting project ever approved in Australian waters, following months of public pressure, political criticism, and regulatory knockbacks.

Mr Pope, who helped organise the March 2024 paddle-out, said the original protest had been a turning point.

“We had almost 1500 people down here last year — half in the water, half on the grass — and the energy was electric,” he said.

“That moment showed there’s no social licence for seismic blasting anymore — not here, not anywhere in Australia.”

In the months that followed, more than 30,000 people made submissions to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), and community action forced the project area to be scaled back from 77,000sqkm to 31,500sqkm before TGS pulled out entirely.

Corangamite Labor federal member Libby Coker, who had publicly criticised both the project and its consultation process, said last year’s decision was a win for “people power” and the environment.

But while campaigners celebrated their victory in the Otway Basin, new proposals have already emerged.

In February, community groups warned that geotechnical company CGG was pursuing its own seismic plans using a Special Prospecting Authority (SPA) — a type of permit conservationists call the “cowboy permit of choice.”

The CGG application has now been sent back three times by NOPSEMA for further review.

Australian Marine Conservation Society campaigner Louise Morris said a moratorium on seismic blasting was urgently needed.

“Seismic proposals are failing because they lack community support and pose serious risks to marine life.

“SPA permits bypass the normal checks and balances, and they need to be scrapped.”

Last month’s “Big Ocean Boogie” event in Torquay drew hundreds to celebrate the original win and raise funds for Surfrider Foundation Australia, which led the paddle-out campaign. A second national day of action, calling for an end to all seismic blasting, will be held this Saturday, March 29, at Logan Beach.

For Pope, Sunday’s quiet return to Cosy Corner was a moment to reflect on the scale of community effort and its impact.

“This coast is too special to blast,” he said. “We stopped one project, but the fight isn’t over.”