Victorian council joins South Australian concerns over oil drilling in Great Australian Bight
A VICTORIAN coastal council has become the first outside South Australia to pass a motion expressing concerns about oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
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A VICTORIAN coastal council has become the first outside South Australia to pass a motion expressing concerns about oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
The oil and gas industry this week predicted that, if approved by an independent umpire, the Bight could become the nation’s next Bass Strait of oil and gas production, but the idea is facing fierce opposition from local communities.
Moyne Council, based in the heritage town of Port Fairy on the Great Ocean Road, has voted to become part of negotiations about the prospect of oil drilling being investigated by the Norwegian government-owned company Equinor.
Equinor, considered one of the most responsible oil exploration operators in the world, is applying for permission to drill in the central area of the Bight but Green groups are opposed to any exploration.
Last night Moyne Council passed a resolution stating: “Moyne Shire Council acknowledges concerns regarding deep sea oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight and commits to writing to Equinor and the relevant Federal minister to request full consultation from Equinor in relation to the development of its proposed Environmental Plan’’.
The SA councils so far expressing concerns about the plans represent 540,000 people and are: Port Adelaide Enfield, Kangaroo Island, Victor Harbor, Yorke Peninsula, Onkaparinga, Yankalilla, Holdfast Bay, Marion, West Torrens, Elliston and Alexandrina.
Speaking at the SA Major Projects Conference in Adelaide on Tuesday, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association director SA & NT Matthew Doman said the Bight had the potential of Bass Strait.
“There’s a lot of people in those communities — in Port Lincoln, Ceduna and other areas — who are very supportive of our industry and see the opportunity for us to contribute alongside existing industries to growing those regions,” he told The Advertiser.
Wilderness Society South Australia Director Peter Owen said: “The opposition to oil and gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight is escalating rapidly, with 11 South Australian local governments representing more than half a million residents now opposed, and now interstate councils are demanding to be consulted’’.