As has been recently reported in Nine Newspapers and on the ABC’s 7.30 programme, Friends of the Earth has uncovered applications by Esso to dump thousa...
Friends of the Earth Melbourne
Save Corner Inlet and Stop Esso Sea Dumping in Bass Strait
GOAL
$50,000
australia > VIC > regional
01/09/2024 > 01/09/2026
FIELD OF INTEREST
- Environment conservation and climate change
- Civic engagement and leadership
TARGET POPULATION
- Flora / fauna
- General population
PROJECT SUMMARY
As has been recently reported in Nine Newspapers and on the ABC’s 7.30 programme, Friends of the Earth has uncovered applications by Esso to dump thousands of tonnes of toxic but recyclable waste in Bass Strait, and to build a massive poisonous and radioactive breaking yard in the middle of the Corner Inlet Ramsar Wetland Site in South Gippsland, Victoria.
FoE has crafted a deeply informed grassroots campaign plan to create community empowerment and movement cooperation to stop this from happening. Esso’s is the first major offshore oil and gas asset decommissioning project in Australia, so what it is allowed to get away with will set a precedent for an emerging $70 billion environmental problem nationwide. It is a crucial time in the process, because we are now ahead of the narrative and have the opportunity to influence public opinion with grassroots activism before any regulatory or government decisions are made.
The Bass Strait marine environment is threatened by toxic waste being dumped in its waters. More than a dozen multi-storey oil and gas platform “topsides” and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of other waste (which industry documents say are riddled with asbestos, mercury and other heavy metals, oil and other hydrocarbons, and hundreds of tonnes of hazardous radioactive waste) being stored and slowly broken down just centimetres above the waterline at Barry Beach is likely to result in drastic environmental consequences.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
We will foster and build a grassroots and cross-organisational movement to combat Esso's plans so as to force the company to remove all waste from Bass Strait, and to responsibly recycle all materials in an existing brownfield site away from any environmentally sensitive areas.
1. The formation of a cross-movement "Esso Watch" group, involving environmental and Traditional Owner groups, unions and other civil society organisations to professionally monitor and investigate Esso's activities so as to shine a public light on their plans.
2. Create a "Save Corner Inlet" community group through public meetings, events and advertising.
3. Use this community power to stop the sea dumping and breaking yard.
Friends of the Earth Melbourne
Friends of the Earth is one of the world's oldest and largest environmental and social justice organisations. In Australia, we are a federation of grassroots organisations with chapters across the country, and including organisations such as School Strike 4 Climate and Market Forces. Friends of the Earth Melbourne is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and undertakes many and varied campaigns, supported by its extensive volunteer base. Recent successes include an end to native forest logging in Victoria, and a state constitutional ban on fracking.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
TOTAL BUDGET: $250,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Many other philanthropy bodies | $200,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| FoE Administrative support | $37,500 |
| Travel (Gippsland/Canberra for sittings) | $10,000 |
| Town Hall events | $2,000 |
| Advertising | $3,000 |
| Contingency | $1,000 |
| Printing | $1,000 |
| Wages 1 x campaigner for 2 x years | $195,500 |
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