Activists from Extinction Rebellion SA (XRSA) held a series of protests outside the Australian Energy Producers (AEP) conference from May 18-21, where a host of fossil fuel corporate CEOs rubbed shoulders with mainstream party leaders from Labor, Liberal and Paul Hanson One Nation.
The oil and gas industry gathering was previously known as the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference, until it rebrand in 2023 in an attempt at greenwashing.
XRSA spokesperson Catherine Cox oil and gas companies make super profits by “laying waste to the resources and ecosystems we all depend upon”. She said that “we are running out of time” to stop “runaway climate carnage”.
Woodside and Santos were the conference’s main sponsors. It also showcased the CEOs and representatives from big oil and gas corporations like Chevron and BP, as well as representatives of accounting firms and big banks.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskus, who has just destroyed at least 585 trees in the Adelaide Parklands, desecrating Kaurna land to make way for a golf course, was a keynote speaker.
In the same week, he announced he would introduce a bill to overturn the moratorium on fracking, two years ahead of schedule, with potentially devastating effects on the Limestone Coast region.
SA Minister for Energy and Mining Tom Koutsantonis was another keynote. He famously admitted in 2023 that the Labor government “was at the disposal” of oil and gas corporations.
Pauline Hanson, who is deploying United States' Donald Trump’s “drill baby drill” call, was given special treatment with a plenary speaking session.
A “Take Back the Power” rally on the second day expressed solidarity with First Nations people, who are at the forefront of resistance against the relentless expansion of big oil and gas. It featured drums, whistles, banners and music and heard from three speakers: Robyn Waite of XRSA, myself from Socialist Alliance and Janette Millera, a Kaurna, Narungga and Arabunna activist.
After the rally, XRSA performance troupe The Oilies paraded onto the convention centre foyer, dressed in black costumes made of plastic garbage bags, wearing headdresses and white and black make-up evocative of the death and pollution caused by the oil industry.
On day three, XRSA’s Toxic Clean-up Squad donned Hazmat suits and gas masks, drawing attention to the pollution of natural ecosystems and the toxification of precious groundwater.
The group greeted conference attendees with slow claps, accompanied by an eerie audio track featuring the sounds of a slowly ticking clock to demonstrate time running out.
Veteran XR activist Pam was detained by police and fined at least $800 for throwing fake oil on to the Convention Centre doorstep.
Later that evening, XRSA organised an alternative Gala Dinner called “Food to Die For”. Activists dressed as silver service waiters greeted conference attendees arriving for the AEP Annual Gala Dinner. The menu included Beetaloo Barramundi in a Santos crème de methane sauce and Algal Bloomberry pie, topped with an ecosystem crumble.
To “celebrate” the final day, XRSA hosted a “monsters ball”. Protesters wore monster masks and costumes, symbolising Oil and Gas executives. Some wore masks of Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor, another keynote speaker.
The creative week of action drew media and public attention, including from Channel 7 and the ABC. The creative actions successfully reminded people that the fossil fuel industry must be opposed by people standing together.
