After staunch opposition from local communities and businesses and pressure from Labor Scott Morrison has finally admitted that he doesn’t support the extension of the Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP 11).
Scott Morrison’s shaky coalition with the Nationals has been tested yet again with the Prime Minister staying silent on PEP 11 until today.
Advent Energy’s PEP 11 application would allow oil and gas exploration drilling off the NSW coast from Port Stephens, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Sydney.
Under the company’s proposal thousands of local jobs in tourism, hospitality, recreational and commercial fishing would be jeopardised.
Scott Morrison’s backdown is in stark contrast to recent comments from the Minister for Resources, who was recently defending the proposal by saying "any rig is unlikely to be visible from the coast".
Unlike the Morrison Government, Labor’s position on this proposal has been crystal clear.
PEP 11 doesn’t make sense from an economic, environmental, or energy perspective.
Labor has been consulting with Save Our Coast, Surfrider Foundation, other advocacy groups and the broader community. We congratulate them on their fierce advocacy in protecting their region.
We support new energy and resources projects where they make sense, but this was always a dumb idea.
A broad spectrum of people across the community knew it, it’s just a shame it took Scott Morrison so long to realise it.
Rest assured, Matt Thistlethwaite, Emma McBride, Meryl Swanson, Sharon Claydon, and the whole Labor team will not rest until this bad idea is 100 per cent dead and buried.
Labor is against it.
The community is against it.
The NSW Government is against it.
Several Federal Liberal MPs are against it.
With his Prime Minister now joining the ranks of those against the application, is Keith Pitt still “concerned about some of the exaggerated claims being made by groups who are opposed to the permit”?
Either Keith Pitt is wrong or the Prime Minister is.