Sydney climate marchers demand an end to Australia’s fossil fuel expansion

Sydney climate marchers demand an end to Australia’s fossil fuel expansion

Extinction Rebellion Australia, 23 Nov 2022

Tamboran Resources’ fracking project in the Northern Territory and the Santos Narrabri Pilliga Gas Project were targeted by protesters at two November Climate rallies in Sydney.

Tamboran Resources is now the biggest player in the Beetaloo Basin after acquiring Origin Energy's exploration interests for $60 million.

The Beetaloo Basin, 400 kilometres south of Darwin, holds an enormous shale gas resource. The development does not have the consent of pastoralists and Aboriginal groups. If it produces greenhouse gas emissions at the expected rate, it would generate 117 million tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Signs at November’s Climate Coalition rally read ‘No to Origin means No to Tamboran’ and ‘Tamboran: Dirty Deeds, no consent’, ‘Traditional Owners say NO to Fracking’ and ‘Don’t Frack the NT’.

Signs about Tamboran at climate rally

A week earlier, XR rebels joined Knitting Nannas and Suellyn Tighe from the Gomeroi's fight against gas in the Pilliga along with the Teachers' Union, School Strike for Climate, Move Beyond Coal, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and others at a Climate Coalition rally to protest the farce that is Cop27.

Marchers in Sydney called for urgent action on climate change and an end to Australia’s fossil fuel expansion including the Santos climate-killing Narrabri Gas Project.

Santos' multi-billion dollar project has federal and state approval to develop a new coal seam gas field over 95,000 hectares of state forest and privately-owned farmland south-west of Narrabri in north-west New South Wales.

Knitting Nannas march at the climate rally

Santos wants to build up to 850 gas wells, which would require clearing up to 1,000 hectares of land. The Gomeroi people have fought the project for a decade. To the Gomeroi people, it's an imminent threat to one of the most spiritually significant elements of their culture: the Pilliga Forest.

Their case is currently before the National Native Title Tribunal. If it succeeds, it could open the door for other First Nations people to use the law to stop fossil fuel projects on their country.

XR rebels with a pink boat labelled 'fossil fuelled floods'

The marchers demands were:

  • No new fossil fuel projects, including Kurri Kurri, Narrabri, Beetaloo and Scarborough
  • Stop the power companies profiteering: 100% publicly owned renewable energy by 2030
  • A just transition now: funding for climate jobs, free education and training, liveable welfare
  • First Nations justice: Stop Santos’ attack on Gomeroi Native Title
  • Defend the right to protest: stop the criminalisation of climate protesters
  • Stop mining in Sydney's water catchment

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