A local activist has prevented the tug supplying the controversial offshore gas drilling rig from leaving the Port of Newcastle by attaching himself inside the tug.
The Tour Maline, which is berthed at the T1 terminal at Honeysuckle, was preparing itself to send supplies to the Ocean Patriot for exploratory drilling for gas and other minerals 55km off the shore of Newcastle.
Rising Tide spokesperson Phillipa Parsons said that offshore gas and/or oil drilling was too risky and could destroy the marine and coastal environment.
“This is just the first drill site. There will be many more from Wollongong to Port Stephens if it isn’t stopped,” Ms. Parsons said.
The proposal, by Asset Energy, has met heavy community opposition in the wake of the disastrous Gulf of Mexico BP spill and the Montara spill off the north west coast of Australia, which leaked for 105 days as the responsibility for containment was debated
“Despite the rhetoric spouted by both politicians and the proponent, gas is not clean, green or a replacement for coal. This drilling will not stop coal being mined in the Hunter or anywhere else. It is a cash grab by the government and the energy corporation,” Ms. Parsons said.
“The Hunter has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs by shifting to clean and green renewable energy, but this rig will massively expand our use of fossil fuels at a time when we need to rapidly reduce our emissions.”
A 2008 study by the Centre of Full Employment and Equity at the University of Newcastle found that there could be a net gain of 10 700 jobs in the Hunter if fossil fuels were phased out in favour of renewable energy. Further, the Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan shows that 100% clean, renewable energy can supply baseload power for the entire country by 2020 at an increase of just $8 per household per week, which is lower than if we continue with Business-As-Usual.