2019-02-19
Equinor is moving full steam ahead to drill in the Bight and The Greens are fighting to stop them.
“We cannot let this project go ahead. Equinor wants approval within months. The Greens are standing with South Australians to fight this all the way,” Greens environment spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“We are not prepared to let South Australian tourism and fishing industries be put at risk for the sake of multinational corporate profits, no matter what spin Equinor tries to put on it. The reality is the Bight is too precious to risk. Drilling for oil in the middle of a whale sanctuary is madness.
“The Bight waters are rough and remote. Equnior has nothing to lose and everything to gain from this project. In the case of an oil spill, it will be South Australians, not Equinor, who pay the price. At a time when we know we must transition away from fossil fuels to arrest climate change, the costs of opening up a new oilfield to the planet are too great.
“Instead of opening up another oilfield, Australia should be showing the world how great the Bight is. It is home to some of the most unique wildlife in the world – 85 per cent of marine life found in the Bight is found nowhere else. The Greens are pursuing World Heritage protection for the Bight, supporting our jobs in tourism and fisheries, and our beautiful Kangaroo Island over big oil.
“Labor and the Liberals want to risk all we love about the Bight to do the bidding of the oil and gas industry. The 73 per cent of South Australians who want World Heritage protection for the Great Australian Bight can have faith that the Greens are fighting with them to protect the Bight and stop this project.”