News

First major 2020 school strike to target McGowan Govt ministers, demand a frack free Kimberley

When: 2:30pm WA time, Sunday September 20

Where: Broome Civic Centre, 27 Weld St, Broome

Media contact: Shaun Clark 0415998007

Details:

School Strike students supported by the wider Kimberley community will confront McGowan Government ministers with anti-gas fracking banners, speeches, and chants when politicians arrive in Broome for community cabinet meetings on Sunday (September 20).

The demonstration is believed to be the first significant event as part of this year’s nation-wide School Strike 4 Climate protests, with the majority of actions due to be held on September 25.

The protests will adhere to strict Covid-19 social distancing requirements. They are being held in response to the climate-wrecking push by the Federal Government governments for a taxpayer-funded polluting gas-fired economic recovery as well as a push for fracking in the Kimberley.

School strike students in Broome are particularly concerned about two planned fracking projects in the Kimberley targeting the Canning Basin - the US-based Black Mountain proposal in the Fitzroy River catchment, and Theia Energy’s plan to frack for oil and gas in the Great Sandy Desert.

“Fracking the Canning Basin alone could release 13.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent gases (CO2-e) into the atmosphere - that’s more than 33 times the amount of domestic emissions Australia produced in 2017,” said Broome school striker Natalie Reeves.

“Australia’s emissions budget compatible with the Paris Agreement is just 5.5 billion tonnes of CO2-e.

“Gas fracking projects are cooking our planet at a time when it has never been more crucial that we embrace renewable energy like wind, solar, and battery storage.

“By opening up the Kimberley to fracking the McGowan Government would be selling out our future.

“We call on the McGowan Government to ban fracking in the beautiful Kimberley and for the Federal COVID recovery plan to focus on investing in the future of Australia based on our vast renewable energy resources.”

Frack Free Kimberley Coordinator Shaun Clark commended the students on sticking up for the future of the planet.

“These students are telling us that they are worried about climate change and want governments to make decisions based on science and what’s best for the planet and future generations,” he said.

“If the Kimberley is opened for fracking, tens of thousands of gas fracking wells could be drilled, threatening ground and surface water as well as releasing billions of tonnes of CO2-e.

“Current estimates from the CSIRO and BoM show that Kimberley towns and communities would become unbearably hot if emissions continue and in fact increase through fracking.

“We call on the McGowan Government to implement a total ban on fracking in the Kimberley and across WA.”

ENDS