Pasiflorez, Suneden and Daniel Aaron set to help celebrate a huge victory against the world's largest seismic blasting project in the Southern Ocean
TGS, a multinational gas exploration company cancelled its project, following years of strong opposition from local communities and environmental groups led by Surfrider Australia.
The project, initially set to cover over 7 million hectares off the coasts of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, was scaled back to 3.17 million hectares after heavy backlash. The turning point came with Surfrider Australia’s record-breaking paddle-out protest in Torquay early last year.
Originally proposed in 2022, the seismic blasting project aimed to explore the ocean floor, but public resistance ultimately led to TGS pulling the plug last September.
Surfriders Australia Operations manager Angus Cormick spoke to Forte today, celebrating the win.
Big Ocean Boogie
- When: Saturday 22 February, 4pm – 10pm
- Where: Torquay Surf Lifesaving Club
- Grab your tix here
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“It was amazing to see the community be able to move the dial on something like this; it’s not often you get a win in the environmental space so we wanted to make sure the community can celebrate each other’s hard work,” he said.
“People from all different spaces and backgrounds put in the hard yards to protect the places they love, it really displayed how much power there is in uniting and using our voice.
“This cause started at a grassroots level; a few marine scientists and local community activists in Tasmania found out about this project and from there they got different people involved and helped make it a national issue.
“We organised community paddle-out events, as well as a film to raise awareness of the project and we worked with local groups here including the Southern Ocean Defenders Alliance (SODA) which comprises SOPEC a First Nations group, AMCS, Otways grassroots community network OCEAN, Friends of the Earth based in Melbourne, Fight for the Bight Port Fairy, Surfrider Foundation Australia and the Surfrider Surf Coast branch.
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“The Victory came in steps; the project started as 7.7million hectares, but due to community opposition the project kept getting sent back to the regulator, who kept downsizing it based on a number of concerns including First Nations areas and recreational fishing.
“The project became slightly fragmented before the company itself withdrew.
“Essentially the community removed their social licenses and made it too difficult for them to proceed.”
While there are a number of other concerning proposals along the coast, Cormick said more wins give hope for future causes.
“There’s been another two wins in very similar projects around the country and when people can see it can happen multiple times they start to feel hopeful.
“I think that’s our superpower; we help give people hope that they can win.
“This event is an opportunity for people to come along and have a boogie, celebrate each other and hear some reflections from the campaign itself.”
Headlined by Pasiflorez, a four-piece hailing from the Northern Rivers of NSW (Bundjalung Country), this sun-soaked collective weaves a dreamy blend of surf rock and old-school funk. Their sonic tapestry evokes coastal nostalgia and waves of groovy psychedelia.
Suneden will be playing their trademark soul-funk boogies and diving headfirst into some impeccably frenetic funk sure to get you on your feet.
Daniel Aaron – an indie-roots outfit of one is set to open up the afternoon. Soulful, bare-footed and multi-instrumental. Enlisting every arm and leg into the ‘one-man-ensemble’, Dan blends acoustic rhythms with the deep hum of the yidaki (didgeridoo) to create a unique sound that reflects his connection to the Australian bush.
Celebrate the win and your hard work at the Big Ocean Boogie next month.