2017-10-13
Chevron’s decision to withdraw plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight is a big win for the coastal communities, tourism and fishing industries, who have fought hard to protect this pristine environment, The Australian Greens say.
“South Australians will be celebrating that Chevron, the tax-dodging multinational oil company, has withdrawn plans to drill in the Bight. This is a huge victory for the community campaign and the environment, but it does not stop here. While we can celebrate another oil giant has retreated from the Bight, there’s still a way to go into preserving this precious environment from oil drilling,” Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“Drilling for oil in the Bight is not only too risky for our environment, our tourism and fishing industries, it also doesn’t stack up economically. It’s now all eyes on Statoil, the Norwegian Government-owned oil giant, to see whether they’ll retreat from the Bight next.
“I’ll be raising this when I meet with the Norwegian Ambassador in Canberra next week. This highly sensitive area is home to some of the most incredible marine life in the world and the repercussions on the environment and the thousands of jobs that rely on local fishing and tourism industries could be catastrophic if drilling for oil were to go ahead.
“BP has a dreadful environmental record, Chevron owe hundreds of millions in unpaid tax, and Statoil is two-faced on climate policy. Companies with track records like these can’t be trusted with this pristine environment.
“The Australian Greens will continue to stand with the coastal communities, local fisheries and tourism, protecting this pristine marine environment, to protect the Bight from big oil companies looking to line their pockets, until every last one of them retreats from the Bight.”