Australian Financial Review 21 Dec 2022

A controversial offshore gas project killed off by Scott Morrison in the lead-up to the federal election will reappear as a battleground issue in the NSW state election, as teal independents targeting Liberals seats put climate and environmental protection at the centre of their platforms.

The PEP-11 offshore gas project, which progressive Liberals including Dave Sharma and Jason Falinski denounced heading into the federal election, remains a hot-button issue in the state’s coastal seats, according to the Climate 200-backed independent candidate Jacqui Scruby.

The environmental lawyer, who ran Sophie Scamps’ successful tilt for the federal seat of Mackellar in May, has set her sights on tapping into the same community concern for the environment in her campaign for the state seat of Pittwater. This includes vociferous opposition to Asset Energy’s offshore gas project known as PEP-11, which stretches 4649 square kilometres from Sydney to Newcastle.

“It will definitely be an issue at the state election,” Ms Scruby told The Australian Financial Review of Asset Energy’s PEP-11 project, which will be reviewed in the federal court in March.