The Central Coast is one step closer to a PEP 11-free future with the recent passage of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Sea Bed Mining and Exploration) Bill 2024 in State Parliament.
The Bill amends the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to prohibit: seabed petroleum and mineral exploration and recovery in NSW coastal waters; and other development within the state for the purposes of seabed petroleum and mineral exploration and recovery anywhere.
The State Government says the Bill reaffirms its commitment to protecting NSW coastal waters from offshore mining activities which can have “a devastating effect on our marine wildlife by releasing toxic materials, destroying habitat and creating harmful sediment levels”.
“The Bill is designed to stop severe environmental damage that can result from offshore exploration and drilling including oil spills and greenhouse gas emissions,” the Government says.
“The ban exempts coastal protection works including beach nourishment and beach scraping, which involves removing a layer of sand from the foreshore and transferring it to a different location on that same beach.
“This strengthens beaches, dunes and cliff systems from erosion.
“Certain dredging activities, not involving mineral exploration or recovery, which are required as routine practice with environmental and economic benefits, will also continue.
“This includes laying pipelines or submarine cables.”
Minister for the Central Coast David Harris said the ban will keep Coast waters clean and its marine life healthy.
“It also gives certainty to coastal communities, like mine on the Central Coast who are overwhelmingly against offshore mining,” he said.
“I am pleased to be a part of a government that not only listens to the community but also acts in their best interests.”
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said it was a “terrific outcome for our community, and coastal communities right up and down the NSW coast”.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said the damage from seabed exploration and mining is significant.
“It threatens our state’s sensitive marine environments, coastal areas and Indigenous heritage,” she said.
“With broad support, the NSW Labor Government has taken a responsible and balanced approach to banning seabed mining and protecting our marine environment into the future.”
Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch supported the Bill but took a swipe at the Government, which he said had refused to debate the issue and delayed the process by almost 12 months.
He acknowledged the strong advocacy of community groups like the Surfrider Foundation and Surfers for Climate for protecting the coastline.
“Let’s be clear, it’s only because of the pressure and leadership taken by the Liberal National Opposition that our state has led the way with this important legislation which stands in stark contrast to the total leadership failure by the Federal Labor Government and Prime Minister on this matter,” he said.
“In a few months PEP-11 will be nothing more than a relic of the past, an appalling decision made by the Carr Labor Government which gave life to PEP-11 back in 2001.”
Member for The Entrance David Mehan said any delays were the result of “a mess” inherited by the current Labor Government.
An application for renewal of the PEP 11 permit for off-shore exploration on a stretch of the NSW coastline incorporating the Central Coast is still active.
Any decision on it has to be ratified by both the NSW and Federal Governments.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on a recent trip to the Central Coast that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison “really stuffed things up”, which is why the permit renewal is still an issue.
“If you pre-empt environmental legislations you will fail,” he said.
“We are determined to get this right.
“The application for the permit renewal has changed and we are considering it carefully in a way that cannot be overturned.”
Terry Collins