Before the heat of the day settled on Newcastle yesterday, a rally was held at Bar Beach calling for the Federal Government to put a stop to PEP-11 once and for all.
The Protect our Coast Alliance held the rally putting the pressure on Federal Resources Minister Madeline King to cancel the license.
The decision lies in her hands after Asset Energy settled their case out of court with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his cancellation of the PEP-11 permit after he had secretly made himself co-minister for resources to can it when he had the top job.
The Alliance said there has been staunch community opposition to the permit since 2018 when Asset Energy commenced seismic testing within the exploration area off Newcastle’s coast.
Protect Our Coast Alliance spokesperson, Lynn Benn of the Knitting Nannas Hunter Loop said they are deeply concerned.
“We have a rich marine ecology off our coast which will be put at risk by the disruption and potential spills of this industry.
“We have seen rolling natural disasters across our country caused by the climate crisis and we cannot afford to develop yet another fossil fuel source if we are to stand any chance of keeping global temperatures in check.”