Surfrider warns about proposed seismic testing off the coast

THE Surfrider Foundation says the community is not being consulted about a proposal to carry out large-scale seismic testing along the Victorian coastline.

The national office and the Surf Coast branch of the Australian not-for-profit conservation organisation held an information session at the Australian National Surf Museum on Thursday last week about the plan by multinational company TGS.

To be conducted across a 5.5 million hectare area off Victoria’s coast stretching from northern Tasmania to the South Australian border, the seismic testing would involve airguns blasting sound into the ocean every 10 seconds as a first step in oil and gas exploration.

Speaking at the meeting, Surfrider Foundation Surf Coast branch president John Foss said there had been several information sessions held along the coast about smaller seismic testing proposals, including one being held in Apollo Bay on the same night, but “this is the first one being run by the community”.

He said TGS were invited to the Torquay event but pulled out the previous weekend.

“It’s a bit of a bummer, as it would have been a fantastic opporunity to have somebody from a fossil fuel company stand here and actually justify and explain what they’re doing.”

Surfrider Foundation Australia national campaign director Drew MacPherson said the oil and gas companies were not consulting widely enough.

“What we’re trying to do is highlight how flawed the consultation process is, and how the community isn’t engaged at all.”

 

He said the original plan released a year ago would have covered a record 7.7 million hectares and would have stretched to the edge of the Murray Commonwealth Marine Reserve south of Adelaide, but advocacy efforts by Surfrider and others had forced proponents to reduce it to 5.5 million hectares.

“It’s an area that’s pristine and has never been blasted before, which is a big deal, and that is basically because it’s offshore. They’ve exhausted all the ones that are easily accessible and they’re going into deeper water, which is super-risky; there’s a much higher risk of problems.

“The one question I’ve been hitting [the companies] with that they don’t have any answers for is ‘What are the benefits for the community?’.

Marine and environmental consultant Annie Ford said the area covered by the seismic testing covered an biologically important area, including one of only two Australian foraging areas for the blue whale.

“There’s been absolutely no research on the hearing of baleen whales and the seismic industry – that reeks of the precautionary principle to me.”

The crowd at the event unanimously voted to oppose the seismic testing, which Mr Foss said was very important.

“When communities are having votes at these meetings, it’s sending a message back to NOPSEMA [the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority] saying this is not popular in the community.”

He said the region’s local, state and federal politicians were invited to the event but the only one to attend was Greens Member for Western Victoria Sarah Mansfield, and Surf Coast Shire mayor Liz Pattison was an apology.

Ms Ford said the enviromental plan for the proposal was due to be released in July, with testing to begin as soon as October, but this would likely be delayed as all feedback, including community opposition, had to be considered.

“I honestly, truly believe we’ve got this, but we need the voices.”