Artists and activists fought fossil fuel funding with music, drums, and flyers.

DISCONTENT over the Perth Festival taking fossil fuel funding is growing this year, with activists gathering outside events mirroring long-running protests at previous Fringe Festivals. 

Artists and activists from Extinction Rebellion WA and Drummers for Climate Action put on their own performance outside Perth Concert Hall on March 5 ahead of the Perth Festival’s Become Ocean event. 

The WA Symphony Orchestra performance is an orchestral ode to the seas based on composer John Luther Adams’ concerns over climate change, and it’s sponsored by offshore oil specialists Woodside Petroleum. 

XRWA’s Fiona Moran said of the night: “We wanted the public to know that they can join us to help put pressure on the government to listen to the science and do what they must to protect us,” particularly taking aim at Woodside’s plan for the Scarborough gas project which she says will be about as environmentally friendly as 15 coal-fired stations.