Arabic version: حزب أمة واحدة يدعم حظراً دائماً للتكسير الهيدروليكي في الجنوب الشرقي
According to ABC News, One Nation will support Greens legislation to permanently ban gas fracking on South Australia’s Limestone Coast. One Nation MP Jason Virgo said he had convinced the partyroom of seven SA MPs to back the bill, despite describing the party as pro-mining and pro-gas.
Virgo, the member for MacKillop, said he supported fracking elsewhere in South Australia and Australia but believed the Limestone Coast was “not the right place”. Fracking in the South East has been under a 10-year moratorium since 2018, introduced by the former Marshall Liberal government, and the restriction is due to expire in 2028.
The Malinauskas government introduced legislation earlier this year to end the moratorium two years early, citing projected gas supply shortfalls from 2030. Its proposal would not authorise a specific project, but would allow exploration companies to investigate the region. Labor’s bill has not yet been voted on and faces defeat in the upper house after the Liberals, Greens and One Nation indicated opposition.
The Greens introduced their permanent-ban bill in the upper house last month. Greens MLC Melanie Selwood welcomed One Nation’s backing and said opposition to fracking had been community-led. Virgo said the Greens bill was unlikely to pass the lower house, where Labor has a majority, and suggested a plebiscite on fracking could be held at next year’s council elections. The Limestone Coast Protection Alliance says a petition seeking a ban has close to 2,000 signatures.
