Climate activists from Rising Tide, an “ANZ ATM” and an undisclosed mining company executive walked into the Queen Street ANZ on July 28.
Their demands where clear: ANZ needs to take its net zero emissions objective seriously and not fund the Beetaloo Basin fracking project. ANZ is the only one of the 4 Big Banks which is in talks with the APA Group to fund its project.
Australia’s largest gas pipeline company APA Group has long been looking at Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory. APA told investors that the Beetaloo Basin is one of the world’s largest gas reserves with potentially 200 to 500 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, according to environmental news site Market Forces.
The potential carbon footprint of this project could be 26 billion tonnes of carbon emissions. Australia’s largest coal fired power plant Eraring produces around 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year according to The Guardian.
For the Eraring coal fire plant to produce the same carbon emissions as the proposed Beetaloo pipeline it would need to be producing coal power for 4300 years.
The protest began at King George Square before proceeding to the ANZ Queen Street branch.
A street theatre dialogue between the mining executive and the “ANZ ATM” included the APA Group going to ANZ in search of funding. A massive pipe was also revealed halfway through the stunt, showcasing the route the proposed fracking project was to take through the NT and Queensland.
It took around 30 minutes before police arrived. Some activists were given move-on notices and prevented from entering the CBD for 24 hours.
Actions were organised across the country to oppose funding for the Beetaloo Basin project, including in Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide, Naarm/Melbourne, Gadigal Country/Sydney, Warrnambool, Ballaarat/Ballarat and Bairnsdale.
Previous Rising Tide actions in Magan-djin/Brisbane included delivering letters of demand to ANZ, occupying the ANZ Board Room floor and releasing helium balloons in the ANZ Queen Street with a banner stating “ANZ Fossil Fools Don’t Fund the NEAP [North East Australia Pipeline]”.
