2019-07-17
The government must rule out drilling in the Great Australian Bight rather than passing the buck to the regulator, Greens say.
“Pressure from the overwhelming majority of South Australian’s to protect the Bight must be acted on by the government,” Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“South Australians and increasing numbers of Australians around the country want a ban on drilling in the Bight.
“The Morrison government is grossly mistaken if they think a tick and flick ‘audit of the regulator’ will satisfy community concerns. It is the role of the government to represent the people and the people have made their wishes clear.
“This ‘audit is nothing more than a box ticking exercise. The terms of reference are so narrow that it makes a mockery of the real concerns of tens of thousands of South Australians who remain opposed to drilling in the Bight.
“All MPs have the opportunity to protect the Bight by supporting my Bill to ban drilling in the Great Australian Bight. They should think long and hard about what their constituents expect of them.
“The Bight is home to many threatened species, and responsible for thousands and thousands of fishing and tourism jobs. It must be protected, not exploited for more dangerous fossil fuels. Anything less is not good enough.”