Protestors call for Santos to foot the algal bloom bill
Protestors gathered at Santos’ Flinders Street headquarters this morning, demanding the fossil fuel company pay up to clean beaches amid the algal bloom crisis.
South Australian members of the national environmental activist group Rising Tide gathered at Santos’ offices on Wednesday morning.
The group attempted to deliver a box of letters from the community to Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher, but were not allowed in the building.
Santos Principal Security spoke to organisers, and the box was taken inside by staff as protestors were turned away.
Since the algal bloom was first reported in March, it has killed about 18,000 marine animals and has been detected at 12 metropolitan locations.
InDaily understands traditional owners asked protestors not to bring dead fish or marine animals to the protest.
Rising Tide member Indi Wishart said funding for business support, beach clean-up and climate research shouldn’t be solely on the taxpayer, and that fossil fuel companies should be “leveraged”.
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“Last year, Santos paid well over $700 million to their shareholders, surely they can find some money to mitigate the damage they have caused,” Wishart said.
“They must help fund the clean-up and recovery efforts from this catastrophic disaster. There will be more algal blooms, more bush fires and more floods and it’s time we made the big polluters pay.”
Earlier this week, the state government announced fast-tracked grants of up to $100,000 for hardest-hit businesses as part of a $28 million joint state and federal funding package.
Wishart said while funding for tourism and clean-up was necessary, the group also wanted to see more funding for marine science to track the bloom.
“These are the beaches that we love to play on, spend time with our kids, they’re really important for tourism, they’re really important for fishing, and there are signs now saying, ‘Don’t go in the water’, it’s unreal,” Wishart said.
“It’s like something out of apocalyptic fiction, so it’s devastating that we can’t go in the water at our own beaches.”
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Following the protest, Greens MLC Robert Simms reignited calls for a fossil fuel levy and will move for a parliamentary inquiry to tackle the causes and propose solutions to algal bloom.
“It’s no wonder the community is angry,” Simms said.
“Companies like Santos make billions from the oil & gas which fuels toxic algae – but they pay little to no tax. That needs to change.
“We need a fossil fuel levy in SA to make polluters like Santos pay for the damage their products cause. It shouldn’t be up to everyday taxpayers to foot the bill.”
A 2024 poll from the Australia Institute found that half of Australians support a fossil fuel levy, with more than twice as many in favour as opposed.
At the end of the June quarter 2025, Santos reported a free cash flow of about $1.1 billion and an expected 30 per cent increase in production by 2027.
In June, Santos shares saw a 15 per cent boost after receiving a $30 billion takeover bid from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and investment giant Carlyle.
The offer is expected to be finalised in the next fortnight as Santos entertains rival bids.
The federal government has already initiated a senate inquiry into the bloom, with support from federal Labor, the coalition and the Greens.
Simms said at a state level, they need a long-term plan to manage the bloom.
“The Government has been slow to act on the algal crisis and Labor still has no long-term plan,” he said.
The Greens are also calling for an immediate end to gas exploration in the South East and Eyre Peninsula.
In June, the state government opened tenders for new fossil fuel mining in the Otway and Polda Basins, which Simms said should be cancelled.
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said in June the gas exploration would drive down prices and back up the state’s renewable-generation fleet.
Santos was contacted for comment.
