Asset Energy, the company seeking to extend the PEP-11 gas exploration licence off the Hunter coast, has cited polling, which it argues shows greater community support for the project than has previously been acknowledged.
The polling, which the company commissioned, was based on the responses of 1000 people aged over 18 from across the Hunter Region.
It revealed a higher level of concern about the impacts of likely gas shortages in the region than concern about plans to extract gas offshore.
The key findings were:
- 50 per cent of respondents said cost of living was the biggest issue in the recent NSW election, while 12 per cent listed "managing the economy" and 8 per cent said environment and climate change was the major issue. Less than 1 per cent listed gas exploration as the most significant issue.
- 61 per cent of Hunter Region voters supported exploring, developing, and using more of Australia's gas reserves, while only 10 per cent opposed that activity.
- 37 per cent of respondents said they supported gas exploration offshore the Hunter region. 41 per cent neither supported or opposed the activity, and 22 per cent opposed this local gas exploration.
The poll was conducted by data and insights firm Pureprofile in the week immediately after the March 25 state election.
Save Our Coast, which has spearheaded a community campaign against the project, slammed the survey methodology and its results. But Pureprofile said the survey size meant the results were accurate within a 3 per cent margin.
PEP-11 was sensationally stopped late in 2021 when former Prime Minister Scott Morrison intervened directly to override the resources minister of the day, Keith Pitt.
Asset Energy is waiting for its permit to return to the joint panel under the NSW Minns government and federal Resources Minister Madeleine King.
Asset Energy executive director David Breeze called on the NSW and Federal governments to urgently reconsider their position on gas exploration offshore Newcastle as part of the solution to the east coast energy crisis.
"There is evidently much stronger support for gas resource development offshore NSW than the sometimes-noisy public debate would suggest," Mr Breeze said.
"What this research shows is that the people are with the science. This is a safe, highly regulated industry, which can support jobs and drive down energy costs, and do so without environmental impacts."
Mr Breeze said Asset's project could be a major part of any solution to NSW's gas shortages and high energy prices.
"Provided that the gas prospects across PEP-11 are proven to be of commercial value, our project has the potential to supply 20 years' worth of gas for NSW," he said.
"We have committed to inject all of our produced gas into the domestic market - and more supply will mean lower prices."
Save Our Coast Founder Natasha Deen said the group had a deep, authentic engagement with the community on PEP-11, including 13,000 genuine face-to-face conversations and a further 70,000 online engagements.
"The consensus is resoundingly clear - it is unacceptable to risk the beautiful NSW coast - our beloved asset that brings millions to the economy, that we depend on for well-being and livelihoods - to drill for fossil fuels (when most of our gas is exported) risking catastrophic harm to the coastal ecosystem and our way of life," she said.
She also cited support from MPs in the PEP-11 zone and two prime ministers who had condemned the project.
"We don't need a small poll with loaded questions to tell us what the community position is: we don't want or need PEP-11. Polls of this nature tend to have statistical bias and questions framed to support who commissioned the poll," she said.
"Save Our Coast look forward to all levels of government honouring their commitment to end the flawed plan that is Petroleum Exploration Permit 11. They call it PEP 11 - we call it home."
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