Melbourne, Australia – Climate activists interrupted the Prime Minister’s keynote address today at the Future Victoria Summit held at Melbourne Crown Casino, demanding an end to new coal and gas projects.

Eighteen-year-old Myles Wilkinson unfurled a banner reading “No New Coal and Gas” and directly addressed Anthony Albanese, asking, “Why are you selling my future to gas companies in the Otway basin?”

Another protestor, Nell Sudano, who lives 4km from Harcourt, a township devastated by bushfires last month, told the Prime Minister, “Prime Minister, we came so close to being the next Marysville.” She added, “The polluters should be paying for the social and environmental damage of the climate crisis, not communities.”

Wilkinson said, “I’m supposed to have my whole future ahead of me. But instead I’m staring down a future of extreme heat, bushfires, floods, food and water shortage. It is nonsensical that even when we are on our way to 2 degrees of warming, the Government is still approving gas leases in the Otway basin. I’m scared of a future of droughts, floods and bushfires, and the Albanese government seems to be ok with gas companies taking the piss.”

Sudano added, “The Albanese government’s own climate report says that we must act now. Instead, they are propping up coal and gas. If we want a liveable future, then we must act now, the next generation will be too late. The polluters should be paying for the social and environmental damage, not communities.”

Rising Tide is a nation-wide movement calling for no new coal and gas projects and a 78% tax on coal export profits to support workers transitioning out of the fossil fuel industry. Their annual blockade of Newcastle Coal Port draws thousands of Australians concerned about continued fossil fuel expansion.

This protest follows the Albanese government opening 2.5 million hectares of the Otway Basin for gas exploration in December 2025. Community opposition in Coastal Victoria has repeatedly challenged new offshore gas projects, including a rejected proposal by NOPSEMA and abandoned seismic surveys by TGS and SLB.

Despite public opposition and polling showing 59% support for banning new coal mines, the government has approved 35 new coal and gas projects over its two terms, raising concerns about Australia’s ability to meet its Paris Agreement commitments.

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