Use Your Vote to Stop Offshore Drilling at 12 Apostles, King Island, & Ningaloo Reef

Three important Aussie icons are at risk right now: 12 Apostles, King Island, and Ningaloo Reef could become the newest sites of offshore drilling rigs that would be detrimental to local marine life and local economies alike. Even more importantly, they further our reliance on fossil fuels at a time when we should be bolstering renewable energy sources and leaving oil and gas in the dust.

Thanks to the climate crisis, we’re seeing extreme bushfires, floods, droughts, and heatwaves throughout Australia, plus unprecedented bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, and devastation to the livelihoods of people who are the least equipped to adapt to changing climate patterns. The climate crisis is not going to go away on its own — it’s up to us to drive the clean-energy action that we want to see through political action. This election, use your vote to stop coastal drilling near 12 Apostles, King Island, and Ningaloo Reef.

12 Apostles

The 12 Apostles is one of Australia’s biggest tourist attractions — even bigger than the Great Barrier Reef. And right now it’s at risk of becoming an offshore drilling site and losing its untouched natural beauty. 

This series of limestone towers rising out of the pristine ocean off the coast of Victoria has captivated tourists and locals alike for generations. Not part of its mesmerizing beauty? A giant offshore oil and gas drilling rig. But if we don’t take action soon, what was once an untouched natural phenomenon will become part of the fossil fuel crisis, devastating native marine life and the local economy — much of which relies on tourism — in the process.

King Island

King Island, with its pristine waters and remote location off Tasmania, is a treasured Aussie icon. Oil and gas companies are seeking permits to build a drilling rig in Sorell Basin, just 20 km off the coast of King Island, destroying its natural beauty, devastating the local economy which relies heavily on fishing and tourism, and contributing to the global climate crisis.

Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef is a World Heritage listed icon, with over 500 tropical fish species and over 300 coral species calling it home. It’s also one of the world’s largest whale and shark hangouts, and is a significant birthing ground for humpback whales. Beyond its important biodiversity, it’s a popular tourist destination, drawing visitors and Aussies alike to its pristine waters.

And right now, the reef is at risk. Under the government’s Gas Fired Recovery, three new basins near the Ningaloo Reef have recently been opened up for possible oil and gas exploration and drilling. This could mean that this pristine and ecologically important area could become part of the climate crisis. It would also put the reef itself and its native marine life at extreme risk, while decimating the local economy.

Take Action!

Luckily, there is still time to take action to protect these three Aussie icons. This election, vote for MPs who won’t allow permits for new oil and gas extraction rigs, and instead champion a clean energy future. Check out the scoreboard here from our friends at Vote Earth Now showing which MPs are for and against new oil and gas drilling initiatives, and vote for MPs who value ending our reliance on fossil fuels and protecting Aussie coastal icons like 12 Apostles, King Island, and Ningaloo Reef.