The Broome community has sent a defiant message to Origin Energy and their shareholders ahead of its AGM this week opposing oil and gas fracking and exploration in the Kimberley.
150 people protested at Entrance Point in Broome as part of a nation-wide week of action against Origin Energy in the leadup to the company’s AGM on October 20.
In partnership with Buru Energy, Origin Energy is already conducting exploratory drilling and seismic testing on several of its petroleum permits across 20,000 square kilometres in the Kimberley.
Buru Energy was recently exposed as having cleared tracks more than 14,000km across the region’s tropical savannah woodlands for seismic testing. The company also previously admitted that tests of flowback fluids from its 2015 fracking operations in the Kimberley showed elevated levels of the chemical contaminants boron and barium and the radionuclide radium-228.
Broome community member and Yawuru Traditional Owner Micklo Corpus said:
“Origin Energy, you're not invited, you haven’t been invited, this can’t happen on our Country. We are asking you to leave now.”
Photo Damian Kelly
Broome-based Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard said:
“Origin Energy are investing $35 million into oil and gas exploration in the Kimberley and have said they are keen to frack. The community is saying no, there is no social licence and we’re putting Origin shareholders like Australian Super on notice.”
"The Broome community opposes Origin's push to pockmark the Kimberley with thousands of fracking wells."
Lock the Gate Alliance WA coordinator Claire McKinnon said, “Fracking companies have their gas-and-oil-hungry eyes set on ripping apart the Kimberley and sending the resources overseas, and the McGowan Government is doing its best to help them.
“The Kimberley has the most intact tropical savannah remaining in the world and the McGowan Government is allowing oil and gas companies free rein to slice and dice ecosystems, and to put underground water at risk.
“We can’t let that happen, so that’s why we’re making it clear to the government and these companies that Western Australians remain defiantly opposed to fracking in our state.”
Sign the petition to ban fracking in the Kimberley here
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