Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've been surfing at Maroubra and along the Sydney coast since I was about eight years old, and I'm passionate about marine conservation and preserving the magnificent coastline and its complex ecosystem. That's why I'm opposed to the Morrison government renewing the Petroleum Export Permit 11, or PEP 11. PEP 11 is an exploratory drilling process primarily located in Commonwealth waters off the coast between Newcastle and Wollongong. The company Advent Energy have been undertaking exploratory drilling. Their last drilling occurred in 2010. Advent Energy announced back then that the exploratory well had failed to find gas, but now they want to drill more wells and they want the licence to be renewed. Members of the community that I represent call on the Morrison government to reject the application to renew PEP 11. Sydney's coastline and waterways are the best in the world. They're vital ecosystems that make a huge contribution to tourism and investment. It's our duty to protect and preserve these precious marine environments and coastlines for future generations. Yesterday I was fortunate to meet with members of the Surfrider Foundation and the Save Our Coast coalition. They're concerned about the destructive environmental impacts of gas exploration, including on whale migration paths in the licence area. The message from our community is clear, Mr Morrison: we do not want PEP 11. Reject this application for renewal. (Time expired)