Fight for The Bight poll: Seven in 10 oppose drilling

Seven in every 10 South Australians are opposed to oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight, according to a new poll.

• Oil in The Bight; The case in favour
• Oil in The Bight; The case against

Nearly seven in 10 South Australians are opposed to oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight, according to a new poll.

The Australia Institute will today release results of its first national poll on the issue, following a phone survey of 2156 people nationally.

The institute’s SA projects manager, Noah Schultz-Byard, said the poll also showed six in every 10 of Australians were opposed to drilling. “The rate of opposition among South Australians is even higher at 68 per cent and only 16 per cent of South Australians support drilling in The Bight,’’ he said.

The poll has been released as part of a campaign to derail Equinor’s plans to drill for oil, if approved by the federal regulator NOPSEMA.

The Norwegian company has released its plan on how to protect the highly sensitive marine and shore environment of The Bight and will soon submit the plan to NOPSEMA for further consideration.

Surfrider Foundation protest against oil drilling

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The latest poll results are similar to a poll published last month in the Sunday Mail that showed 60 per cent of respondents were opposed to drilling.

“Equinor and the other oil giants looking to drill in the Great Australian Bight are attempting to do so in direct opposition to the wishes of the Australian people,’’ Mr Schultz-Byard said. “We’ve known for some time that the Great Australian Bight holds a special place in the hearts of South Australians but this research has shown that opposition to exploiting The Bight exists across the country.

“A serious oil spill in The Bight would be an environmental and economic disaster, devastating the pristine marine ecosystem and threatening more than 9000 jobs in South Australia alone.’’

Equinor estimates with a base case scenario of 1.9 billion barrels of oil, Australia’s GDP could increase by $5.9 billion a year and create 1361 jobs created during construction.

It would also generate $1.7 billion in tax every year.

Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) SA & NT director Matthew Doman said there were many false and exaggerated claims made by opponents of development.

“We’re confident once South Australians focus on the strong track record of our industry and the significant benefits that flow from our activity, support for exploration will grow,” Mr Doman said.

“There is no reason South Australia cannot have a safe, sustainable and successful offshore petroleum industry – as we’ve seen in Bass Strait and offshore Western Australia and the NT for decades.”