A GROWING movement of salty-hair sea dwellers (also known as surfers) are taking on the Federal Government to protect the Australian coastline from offshore oil and gas approvals.
Surfers for Climate, an organisation founded by Australia’s top surf elites including WSL pro-surfer, Adrian Buchan and former ironman, Ky Hurst, launched the petition, Don’t Pass Gas this week, to put a stop to the government’s outdated offshore release process of automatically allowing permits for potential oil and gas exploration.
The petition follows the 2021 release of the automated exploration process expected to target an area in the Otway Basin in Victoria- a renowned and sacred location for surfers, and many others, across the country.
Surfers For Climate Director and professional longboard, Belinda Baggs said: “Every year Australia’s waters are placed on the chopping block as areas are chosen for exploration without consideration of climate, environment or community, and no traditional owner consultation.
“Our precious oceans are no place for a gas and oil field. We demand changes to this hairbrained system that allows the fossil fuel industry to continually place our climate, coastlines, communities and waves in the firing line.
“How many more oil and gas drilling projects do we need to fight before enough is enough?” Baggs said.The ocean provides life to this planet and a hell of a lot of fun for us surfers! Let’s keep it that way,” Baggs said.
“The Australian acreage release process gives away our oceans to private interests, making it virtually impossible to ever protect them properly in the future.”
Surfers For Climate have called on the Australian public to sign the petition before Friday March 8 to demonstrate widespread opposition to industrialising the seas in a climate emergency.
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