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MEDIA ALERT: Chief Minister and Morrison Government target of NT day of action over gas bailout plans

PR Newswire

Surry Hills, N.S.W., Sep. 25, 2020 /Medianet/ --



MEDIA ALERT: Chief Minister and Morrison Government target of national day of action over gas bailout plans

 

What: Lunchtime demonstration outside Chief Minister Gunner’s electorate office

Where: Shop 5/36 Parap Place, Parap 

When: Friday September 25, 12:00-13:00

 

Students, workers, Aboriginal leaders and community members will confront Chief Minister Michael Gunner at his Parap electorate office as part of a national day of action hosted by the School Strike for Climate movement.

 

The Darwin demonstration, as well as those around the country, are being held to condemn the short sighted push by the Federal Government, supported by the NT Government, to use taxpayer funds to prop up dirty, climate-wrecking gas and fracking projects.

 

Protestors in Darwin are particularly opposed to the Gunner Government’s ongoing use of taxpayer funds to support fracking companies who want to destroy the region south of Katherine and the Gulf of Carpentaria with fracking gasfields. They say the focus on polluting and expensive gas will fail to produce local jobs, and turbocharge the climate crisis.

 

Jenita Sandy, a young Jingili woman from Elliott, where fracking exploration resumed this week said: “Aboriginal communities across the Beetaloo region have been standing up and saying no to dangerous fracking for years now.

 

In the middle of a public health and economic crisis our communities want to see funding solutions that help our communities and country recover. The last thing the federal and NT Governments should be doing is pumping funds into private fracking companies which will make our climate problems worse!” 

 

Anastasia McKinnon a young unionist from Unions NT said right now all levels of government should be focussed on ensuring young people could re-enter the workforce with targeted job creation programs and support:

 

“With the right level of partnership with workers, youth and Indigenous Australians, we can achieve a renewables-driven economic comeback from the impacts of COVID-19. This could create thousands of jobs for the future and new industries. We have the people to work, we have the plan, we just need commitment from our governments to support a just transition.”

 

Thomas Mayor, National Indigenous Officer for the Maritime Union of Australia said: “My people in the Torres Strait will be among the first climate refugees in the world, yet the Morrison Government remains in dishonest denial, acting only in sef-interest. This failure means cultural genocide for my people.”

 

“We need renewable energy prioritised, and a just transition for Australian workers. Its literally sink or swim for all Australians while Morrison sips cocktails on the hill in Canberra. This day of action is to call him out over his betrayal of all Australians.”

 

Protect Country Alliance spokesperson Graeme Sawyer said, "Fracking the Beetaloo Basin has the potential to unleash a carbon bomb equivalent to the commissioning of more than 50 coal fired power stations.

 

“The Pepper scientific inquiry found that if fracking goes ahead in the Territory then Australia's greenhouse gas emissions will increase by about 4.5 per cent. This is completely at odds with Australia’s Paris climate agreement commitments.

 

"The Gunner and Morrison governments' attitude to fracking is a complete betrayal of future generations. The Gunner Government in particular claims it is guided by the principles of ecologically sustainable development yet its actions directly breach these principles and the EPBC act.

"Our politicians should not be imposing environmental and financial problems on future generations by their misguided fracking strategies.”

 

The rally will be livestreamed to a national audience via the Student Strike for Climate facebook page between 12 – 1pm, Friday September 25.

 

Media contact: 0447 355 565


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