Image: A PEP11 protest organised by Surf Rider Australia. Port Stephens Examiner
by GRACE JOHNSON
In a historic first for Australia, New South Wales has passed legislation to ban offshore drilling and mining.
The new legislation, which was unanimously passed in Parliament on Wednesday, will prevent oil and gas operators from searching for fossil fuels within NSW waters.
“These activities can have a devastating effect on our marine wildlife by releasing toxic materials, destroying habitat and creating harmful sediment levels,” said the NSW Government in a statement.
“We must prevent this happening.”
The Bill prohibits the offshore exploration and drilling that causes severe damage to the environment, including oil spills and greenhouse gas emissions.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said, “The damage from seabed exploration and mining is significant.”
“It threatens our state’s sensitive marine environments, coastal areas and Indigenous heritage.”
The move to ban seabed mining will protect our marine environment for the future, she continued.
The new legislation is a win for coastal communities along the NSW coast, environmentalists, and ocean advocates, who have worked tirelessly to protect the state’s marine environment.
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The Bill was introduced in a bid to stop the Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP 11) project.
The permit would have allowed the joint venture Asset Energy Pty Ltd and Bounty Oil and Gas NL to search 4500 square kilometres of seabed between Newcastle and Sydney to be searched for natural gas reserves.
The project prompted widespread opposition from coastal communities and environmentalists.
Minister for the Central Coast David Harris celebrated the changes, saying, “Not only does this ban keep our waters clean and our marine life healthy, but it also gives certainty to coastal communities, like mine on the Central Coast who are overwhelmingly against offshore mining.”
“I am pleased to be a part of a government that not only listens to the community but also acts in their best interests.”
