April 09, 2013
Opposition grows to Petrobras bill
Veteran activist Mike Smith says Energy Minister Simon Bridges should focus on lowering the risk of offshore oil drilling rather than criminalising those who call attention to the risk.
Mr Smith helped organise the Greenpeace and Te Whanau ā Apanui flotilla that protested the 2011 survey of the Raukumara Basin by Brazilian company Petrobras.
Mr Bridges wants to amend the Crown Minerals Act so people who protest outside New Zealand’s 12 mile limit can be fined up to $100,000 and jailed for a year.
The law would catch people such as Te Whanau ā Apanui fisherman Elvis Teddy, who put his fishing boat in the way of the survey ship.
Mr Smith says there are adequate controls in the marine regulations to deal with any safety issues that may arise, and the amendment is about giving oil companies the confidence to return knowing their actions will go unchecked.
Mr Bridges has also come under fire from a group of prominent New Zealanders including Dame Anne Salmond, QC Peter Williams and former Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer.
They say New Zealand has a rich history of protesting at sea, and the amendment is not compatible with international law.
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