A $28 million industry is calling on Moyne Shire to protect it against off-shore drilling.
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Southern Ocean Mariculture is the latest group to lend its support to Port Fairy’s Fight for the Bight campaign that opposes deep water drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
The abalone farm, based in Port Fairy, is urging other industries passionate about smart energy to lobby the council before it votes on the issue on July 24.
Southern Ocean Mariculture general manager Mark Gervis said an oil spill would devastate his industry.
“We pump 2.5 million litres of water through this farm every hour,” he said. “We are reliant on clean water in our industry. If there was a spill we’d be the first in the firing line and if that comes with oil attached we’d have a lot of dead abalone.”
Southern Ocean currents mean spills represent a real threat to the region, Mr Gervis said.
“The abalone industry extends all the way from Western Australia to Tasmania,” he said. “If you look at the modelling of what could happen in a potential spill that represents $50 million annual turnover, $28 million of it here in Victoria.”
Fight for the Bight Port Fairy campaigner Ben Druitt said it was imperative Moyne Shire acted immediately to prevent a future environmental disaster.
“This council has a coastline that can be potentially impacted by frontier drilling,” he said. “We are calling on the Moyne Shire to pass the motion accepting concerns that deep sea oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight pose significant risks to fishing, tourism and marine environments along Australia’s southern coastline, including Moyne Shire.
“There are already 11 councils representing 550,000 people, and growing, opposing plans for deep sea oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
“We are trying to make enough noise along this coastline so that oil companies cannot proceed with applications to regulators.
“We also commit to writing to Norwegian petroleum company, Equinor, and the relevant federal minister to voice these concerns.
“It’s snowballing and its getting quicker,” he said. “And we’re hoping Moyne will be the first interstate council to pass this motion and that precipitates throughout Victoria and puts the issue on a national stage.”
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