Locals to rally in Torquay against seismic blasting proposal in Otway Basin

Local surfers and ocean lovers will rally in Torquay to protest a mega seismic blasting project as they wait to hear if the project has been approved by the offshore renewables regulator.

Surfrider Foundation Surf Coast branch secretary Darren Noyes-Brown and Surfrider Foundation national campaign director Drew McPherson. Picture: Alan Barber

Local surfers and ocean lovers will rally in Torquay on Saturday to protest a mega seismic blasting project in the Otway Basin as they wait to hear if the project has been approved by the offshore gas regulator.

Oil and natural gas company Schlumberger Australia and data company TGS are seeking approval for a 400-day 3D seismic survey in an effort to find fossil fuels.

The protest, led by the Surfrider Foundation, will see thousands of people paddling out from Cosy Corner, calling for the project to be scrapped and for the area to be permanently protected from fossil fuel exploration.

Surfrider Foundation national campaign director Drew McPherson. Picture: Alan Barber

Surfrider Foundation national campaign director Drew McPherson said the blasting could impact marine life such as endangered whales as well as wiping out scallops, rock lobsters and crayfish, impacting the livelihoods of local fishermen.

Seismic blasting releases underwater explosions every 10 seconds.

“They are more than 250 decibels, which is louder than the atomic bombs used in the 1960s,” Mr McPherson said.

He said the original proposal covered 7.7 million hectares of ocean floor.

“We put a lot of pressure on these companies and it got reduced to 5.5 million hectares and further reduced to 4.5 million hectares,” he said.

“It’s still the biggest seismic blasting proposal in history.”

The project is currently being reviewed by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

A decision was expected to be made by March 8 but the regulator is yet to hand down its verdict.

“We’ve been refreshing the approval page since then,” Mr McPherson

“It’s really hard to get any sort of clarity on this.

“It seems like the industry is getting all the information on the process and the community is left in the dark.”

Corangamite MP Libby Coker will meet with NOPSEMA officials on Thursday to discuss the project.

She has called for the approval process to be halted until there has been a review into the consultation conducted by Schlumberger Australia and TGS.

Corangamite MP Libby Coker.

“Our community continues to express their concerns and I will continue to share these concerns with the regulator,” Ms Coker said.

“A poorly run consultation process can lead to dire implications for our environment, local jobs and the regional economy and that’s why it’s so important for the regulator to look more closely at the environment plan of the proponents.”

Mr McPherson said thousands of people were expected to attend the paddle out.

“If thousands of people are willing to paddle out and scream at the top of their lungs their disapproval of the plan, it shows how important the ocean is as a community asset and the lengths people will go to protect it,” he said.

“We need to stand up to this project and come together as a community.”

A NOPSEMA spokesman said the project was being assessed by a team of environment and consultation specialists.

“Part of this assessment process includes the manner in which consultation with relevant persons has been conducted,” the spokesman said.

“At present, it is not possible to say when the assessment will be completed.”

Schlumberger Australia and TGS did not respond to requests for comment.

The paddle out will be held at Cosy Corner in Torquay from 12pm.

For more information, head to surfrider.org.au.

Originally published as Locals to rally in Torquay against seismic blasting proposal in Otway Basin