The Victorian government has approved its first gas extraction project in a decade, near the celebrated tourist site the Twelve Apostles, despite its plans to wean the state’s households off the fossil fuel.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, and the minister for energy and resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, on Thursday announced the approval of Beach Energy’s plan to pipe gas from an offshore field near Port Campbell, in western Victoria, from 30 June.
Its onshore drill site is 450m outside the park but the bore extends 3.5km out into the ocean, including a 1.3km stretch passing underneath the national park.
It is also located about 5km away from the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles, one of Australia’s most popular tourist attractions. However, it is located outside the Twelve Apostles Marine Park and it has met the government’s environmental requirements.