
A against the Kurri Kurri gas plant was organised by the Gas Free Hunter Alliance (GFHA), School Students for Climate Action (SS4CA) and Workers for Climate Action (W4CA). The proposed gas-fired power station in New South Wales鈥 Hunter Valley is part of the Scott Morrison government鈥檚 so-called 鈥.鈥
Campaigners said the project threatens Gomeroi lands in the Pilliga and surrounding areas and that the project will cost around $600 million in public funds.
The week of online events culminated in an 150 person鈥搒trong online forum on August 27.
Kurri Kurri local resident Janet Murray said, 鈥淭he planned Kurri Kurri gas plant is a dinosaur, which will create very few ongoing jobs.鈥 Anti-fracking activist Dayne Pratzky, star of the , told the forum that聽鈥渂uilding this gas plant will increase gas prices in NSW.鈥
Pratzky spoke about the devastating impacts of coal seam gas on his community in Queensland. He said fracking 鈥渄estroyed the area, and merely boosted production of greenhouse gases.鈥
Participants sent out a coordinated barrage of emails and social media posts targeting federal and state government ministers.
Two days previously, on August 25, W4CA聽in Sydney held an online rally under the theme: "Stop the聽Kurri Kurri聽gas plant. Build public renewables.聽No to Santos' Narrabri gas field. Yes to climate jobs." The rally was attended by almost 100 people.
Wonnarua traditional owner聽Scott Franks addressed the rally. He pointed out the shared 鈥渕oral responsibility to protect our land and environment for future generations鈥 and warned the plant would have a 鈥渉uge鈥 negative impact on First Nations peoples.
Carly Phillips from the GFHA told the rally that during a recent inquiry, only two out of 257 submissions from the public supported the Kurri Kurri plant. 鈥淲e need to turn away from fossil fuels, not turn back to gas to produce our power," she said.
鈥淭he plant is a huge waste of money,鈥 Phillips continued. 鈥淚magine the better way those funds could be spent: on public health, hospitals, and renewable energy projects in the Hunter.鈥
Campbell Knox from SS4CA spoke about the need for solidarity. 鈥淲orkers' rights and climate justice are at the bottom of the list of priorities for the big corporations and their system. Students and unions need to stand together for a fossil-fuel free future," he said.
Maritime Union of Australia researcher Penny Howard discussed plans for renewable energy projects in the Hunter region, including those involving wind power. Howard explained that 鈥渨orkers from the off-shore gas and oil sector have transferable skills for the off-shore wind industry ...聽and plans are in train for a large floating wind farm 20 to 30 kilometres off the Newcastle coast鈥.
Finally, Michael Gilray, a Hunter Valley home-care worker and member of the United Workers Union, said the $600 million slated for the gas plant should instead be put towards allowing workers in the fossil fuel industry to transition to the聽renewable energy industry. Gilray had recently initiated a petition calling for the $600 million slated for the gas plant to go instead to a just transition.
[聽to support the campaign against the Kurri Kurri gas plant.]