Smorgasboarder_Edition_45

smorgasboarder
My third and final concern would be a spill. It would
destroy and devastate most of southern Australia,
wiping out industries that sustain families, people’s
recreational and commercial livelihoods.
Fifteen local governments across Victoria and
South Australia have now passed motions which
express majority opposition to oil drilling in the
Great Australian Bight.
Federal member for Mayo Rebekah Sharkie,
Peter Owen WSSA and Bunna Lawrie Mirning
Elder spoke to the media in front of thousands
of surfers who paddled out at Victor Harbour on
March 3rd to signify their opposition to ‘Equinor’s
ocean oil plans.
Australian is warming up its vocal chords and
saying NORWAY X to big oil plans. Even the Earth
Hour main event at the huge WOMADelaide festival
was all about the Fight for the Bight. And funnily
enough on the recent Australian Red Hot Chili
Peppers tour, surfing front man Anthony Kiedis took
to the stage with a self-made #fightforthebight
t-shirt.
Thanks go out to the thousands of surfers who
attended and paddled out across 4 states in protest
against big oil in the Bight in places like Cresent
Head, Yamba, Manly, Alexandra Headlands,
Wollongong, Torquay, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool,
Cape Bridgewater, Victor Harbour, Robe, Cactus
Beach, Mosmon WA, Streaky Bay, Melbourne,
Hobart and Perth.
With Greenpeace and Damian Cole looking for
surfers to join a paddle out for Sydney Harbour and
surrounding beaches, it begs the question, ‘Could
this be you?’ Pay it forward ’Straayans…
People have promoted The Bight’s ecological
significance through hosting films such as
Nevertown and Operation Jeedera. And for that we
give thanks to surfers and community members
of Streaky Bay, Port Lincoln, Sailsbury, Port Fairy,
Portland, Melbourne and Glenelg. Opposition is
also mounting in South Australia’s South East and
Limestone Coast, where a 10-year moratorium for
LNG fracking was introduced in 2018.
I previously asked 3rd generation Streaky Bay
local Josiah Schmucker to chime in on the
#fightforthebight. He was up late typing this the
night before surfing the 30-40 foot Mavericks swell
in November.
“Since the whole oil drilling and risk of a spill
became so prevalent in my neck of the woods, I
have been a lot more interested in the situation, but
I have always been slightly against oil as I believe
there are more efficient - or at least a lot greener -
means of travel.
“Three major points that come to mind when I hear
about drilling for oil in The Bight are firstly: the
risk heavily outweighs the reward. We don’t need
the oil because we should be looking at cleaner,
greener and renewable resources. I recently read in
three different articles that oil is also a constantly
regenerated liquid in the earth so there is no need
for new oil rigs anywhere if we wish to continue
using oil for its different purposes.
“We don’t need the jobs it would provide, no one
in the area is out of work or struggling so there’s
not a need for the extra work. Which also raises
a question for me whether an American, Asian or
English based company is going to employ that
many people from South Australia.
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