Media Releases

STATEMENT: PEP 11 Finally Dead in the Water

17 January 2024

The PEP 11 project which has seen widespread opposition from local communities, and many attempts at both the state and federal level to stop it, has been formally refused by the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic.  

This is a huge win for coastal communities from Manly to Newcastle!

We have been fighting this application for over 4 years, tabled numerous bills in parliament and presented several petitions. Ultimately, it's the community that made this happen through their determination to stop this project and protect our ocean and be heard by Government!

Thank you to everyone in the community who fought for our oceans and coastline.

In a statement today Minister Husic said: “Commonwealth-New South Wales Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority (Joint Authority) made the decision to refuse both the PEP-11 applications.

The Joint Authority refused the applications for reasons of public interest, concerns about the applicants’ estimate of the cost of works and their ability to raise the necessary capital to fund the proposed works.” 

About PEP 11
PEP-11 (the Petroleum Exploration Permit 11) application, covered 4,500 square kilometres of ocean along NSW’s east coast from North Head National Park in Manly, through the central coast and as far as Newcastle.

About Zali’s Stop PEP 11 Bills

In 2019 Zali introduced the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Stop PEP 11) Bill to parliament in response to community opposition to the project. The project was soon after rejected by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

In 2024, when the PEP 11 proposal was reinstated, Zali reintroduced the Bill as the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Stop PEP 11 Forever), to permanently ban oil and gas exploration in the PEP 11 permit area.

While the government chose not to bring either bill on for debate – both had widespread support from the community and formed a key part of the advocacy against the project.