Australia’s climate policies and fossil fuel projects have been put on notice as surfers and onlookers of all ages took part in the youth-led Paddle for Change on March 9.
Hundreds of people descended on Mona Vale Beach under the warm Saturday sunshine to paddle out at Bongin Bongin Bay or show their support from dry land. The event was part of a wider campaign to enshrine a ‘duty of care’ for younger generations of Australians into environment and climate laws, and to end once and for all a plan to drill for oil and gas off the coastline between Newcastle and Manly, known as PEP11.
Addressing the 200-strong crowd on the shore, independent MP for Mackellar Dr Sophie Scamps, who hosted the event, wanted the federal government to take notice and ensure that offshore oil spills and seismic blasting proposed under PEP11 do not occur.
“[Seismic blasting] is the sound of an atomic bomb going off underwater every 3 to 10 seconds, 24 hours a day for months and months on end, and you can imagine what damage that would do to our marine environment,” she said. “Today is all about showing that we do not support this, we do not want it to go ahead and it’s up to the Labor government to put an end to this.”
Lead campaigner of the Duty of Care initiative Anjali Sharma said younger generations are the only ones who will have the opportunity to shape their future in the face of climate change. “We do not want a future that is marked and characterised by natural disasters increasing in frequency and severity, because of destructive projects like PEP11,” she told the crowd.
Peggy Oki – an American skateboarder, surfer and environmental activist – heard about Paddle for Change while visiting Sydney for a video shoot. She hopes the Albanese government will heed the warnings and act to prevent offshore mining. “There are people who care about this”, said Peggy. “And actions must be taken immediately to avert climate change.”
Speaking after the paddle-out, Dr Scamps said there was a “really great energy” when the surfers gathered in a circle out at sea. She also believed the health and wellbeing of young people needed to be considered when making decisions in Canberra, which is the main objective of the Duty of Care Bill that is currently before federal parliament.
“I want to say to young people out there, keep speaking up [for worthwhile causes] because you absolutely deserve to be heard. It could be a bright future, let’s build it,” she said.
These sentiments were echoed by many of the event volunteers and participants, who also took note of the optimistic energy throughout the morning.
The Duty of Care Bill was developed by independent Senator David Pocock and has the support of Sharma, who was the lead litigant in a landmark Federal Court ruling in 2021 that the then Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, owed young people a duty of care against climate change. However, the Minister successfully appealed the ruling in 2022.
Learn more about Senator David Pocock’s Duty of Care bill at adutyofcare.davidpocock.com.au and follow @dutyofcarecampaign on Instagram