From 2011 until 2017, the Victorian community, especially regional communities in the south of the state, campaigned hard to win the ban on fracking and the moratorium on onshore conventional gas drilling.
While fracking (unconventional gas drilling) was banned permanently, a moratorium was placed on onshore conventional exploration and drilling. This has been in force since 2014, and will expire on June 30, 2020.
We have until 2020 to build a strong voice demanding that the state government acts to protect our state by extending the onshore gas moratorium for another five years.
Easy ways to support the campaign
1/ Sign the petition to the premier. You can sign it here.
2/ Join Friends of the Earth and community alliances for a statewide week of action from October 5 - 13.
Communities can say NO to the fossil fuel industry. Join us during the week of October 5th-13th to support farming communities at risk from the negative threats of local gas production, and stand with communities who know that the time for new oil, coal and gas is over.
When
Anytime between October 5 and 13, 2019
Where
Communities all over Victoria
1. RSVP today! We'll send you more information about organising or attending an action in your local community.
2. Get a group together in your community, identify a good location to hold a public action. It could be somewhere iconic at risk from drilling or somewhere that will be impacted by climate change.
3. Choose what time on the day you want to meet, and advertise it in your community. Friends of the Earth will publicise all the actions across the state if you email us the details or add them to the event facebook page (available here).
Local events
Seaspray, Gippsland
Sunday 13th Oct. Meet at the beach carpark at 11.30am
Followed by a session on current threats to the region posed by gas exploration. Details here.
Parliament House, Melbourne
Thursday 10th Oct.
12.30 – 1.30pm
Parliament House, Melbourne.
Check here for a background paper on why Victoria doesn’t need new gasfields to be developed.
How to do your action
1/ Get together with a few friends or your local group anytime between October 5 and 13.
2/ Make a placard saying #ExtendtheMoratorium
(feel free to also include details on any local issues you are campaigning on).
3/ Get together and take a photo and post on your social media.
For maximum effect, please tag in the following people:
The Premier, Daniel Andrews:
@DanielAndrewsMP
Deputy Premier James Merlino
@JamesMerlinoMP
Tim Pallas, Treasurer
@timpallas
Jaclyn Symes, Minister for Agriculture, Regional Development and Resources
@JaclynSymes
And please use at least one of the hashtags: #ExtendtheMoratorium #KeepItInTheGround #NoOnshoreGas
Possible text to use with your photo (and then tag the other MPs into your photo):
The community fought hard for the fracking ban & moratorium on gas drilling. The time for new fossil fuels is over. @DanielAndrewsMP – please #ExtendtheMoratorium
And if you use twitter, please retweet this one.
And please also feel free to post your photos on the event page for the actions. This page will also list any local actions that are already planned.