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Energy, Environment

Media alert: Snap rally to compel a public consultation EES for ExxonMobil in South Gippsland

No More Gas campaign, Friends of the Earth Melbourne 3 mins read

What: Rally to launch a petition calling on the Victorian Government to open up a public consultation EES for ExxonMobil’s rig decommissioning in South Gippsland

When: 8:30-9:30am Tuesday 4 February 2025

Where: Steps of Parliament of Victoria, Spring Street East Melbourne

Background:

ExxonMobil – better known by their trading name Esso - has announced their Decommissioning Project for South Gippsland: a plan to partially remove 13 decaying gas rigs from Bass Strait and break them apart amongst the RAMSAR listed wetlands of Corner Inlet. All of the removed materials - estimated by ExxonMobil to be 60,000 tonnes in total but in fact likely to be considerably more - would be then trucked along the single lane, winding South Gippsland Highway. The local community knows that Barry Beach is not the place for this sort of industrial activity and Friends of the Earth stands alongside them in advocating for responsible recycling of Exxon's rigs.

Friends of the Earth shares the conviction that Barry Beach Marine Terminal is not appropriate for rig decommissioning. We have long advocated for a dedicated facility to be built in an established industrial area, to standards reflecting international best practice. The facility should be close to essential infrastructure such as waste facilities and transport, and service the decommissioning needs of all fossil fuel companies, not just ExxonMobil.

On Tuesday morning Friends of the Earth’s No More Gas campaign will launch a petition calling on the Victorian Government to open this proposal up to an EES process subject to public consultation. Several members of the impacted community have contacted Friends of the Earth complaining about opaque, poorly advertised and often inaccessible consultation run by ExxonMobil and believe that the public has a right to be heard and considered by decision makers.

Quotes attributable to Offshore Gas Campaigner, Stan Woodhouse:

“Regarding Esso's environmental plans, no official document has been released. At the rally we're launching a petition demanding the Victorian Government commission an Environmental Effects Statement into the plans. Instead of allowing the fossil fuel industry to call the shots - with its long, well documented history of misinforming the public - we need the government to step up and protect Corner Inlet and its communities.“

“We have seen claims from Esso that this project will create around 40 jobs, but will any of them go to locals? Rig breaking is complex, messy work. Do we really believe this corporation - that has done everything in its power to strip resources from Australia without paying for them, and with a documented history of noncompliance on their operations and three fuel leaks in the Gippsland Basin alone in the past year - will invest in training locals for specialised positions rather than using FIFO workers?


Key Facts:

Friends of the Earth Melbourne launch a petition on the Victorian Parliament steps at 8:30am Tuesday 4 February

The petition calls on the Victorian Government to open up a public ESS consultation to submissions from the community on the project

The community has reached out to Friends of the Earth for support following what they describe as poor consultation, opaque information and concerns about the impact of the project on the RAMSAR listed wetlands of Corner Inlet and ailing road infrastructure on the South Gippsland Highway


About us:

Friends of the Earth Melbourne has a more than fifty year history of campaigning for environmental and social justice through grassroots organising and engagement in political processes.

The No More Gas campaign has operated since 2021 to decarbonise Victoria's energy sector and remove gas from the statewide energy economy. The campaign has published two reports about gas in Victoria and successfully promoted several policy developments to restrict gas use and support household transition to cleaner, more affordable energy.


Contact details:

Stan Woodhouse - 0484 608 625

Freja Leonard - 0400 611 896

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