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 their net zero emissions objective seriously and not fund the Beetaloo Basin fracking project. ANZ is currently the only one of the 4 Big Banks in talks with the APA Group to fund their fracking project at Beetaloo.
Australia’s largest gas pipeline company APA Group has long been looking at Beetaloo Basin in outback 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.
What this would mean for our climate is that the potential carbon footprint of the fracking project could be 26 billion tonnes of carbon emissions. Australia’s largest coal fired power plant Eraring produces around 6 million tonnes of CO₂ per 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 with a briefing before proceeding to the ANZ Queen Street branch.
Activists prepared a street theatre dialogue between the mining executive and the ANZ ATM where the APA Group went 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 Northern Territory and Queensland.
The stunt was uninterrupted for around 30 minutes before the bank called police. Some activists were given move-on notices and not allowed to enter the CBD for 24 hours.
Along with the Rising Tide action in Magan-djin/Brisbane, many more were organized across the country to oppose the funding of the Beetaloo Basin project. Actions were conducted in Kaurna Yerta/Adelaide, Naarm/Melbourne, Gadigal Country/Sydney, Warrnambool, Ballaarat/Ballarat and Bairnsdale.
Previous Rising Tide actions in Magan-djin/Brisbane include, 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”.
