Coastal South Australian towns get big sell on oil, gas drilling

THE state’s coastal towns have been spruiked a boost to jobs and their economies if gas and oil exploration is established in the Great Australian Bight.

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THE state’s coastal towns have been spruiked a boost to jobs and their economies if gas and oil exploration is established in the Great Australian Bight.

It comes as independent Senator Tim Storer will on Friday tour Kangaroo Island, where he will propose reinstating the Environment Minister’s power to authorise or oppose drilling.

Four drop-in sessions were held in Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Victor Harbor and Kangaroo Island by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science late last month about oil and gas activities off SA’s coast.

The meetings were attended by almost 150 people, including Victor Harbor Mayor Graham Philp, who was told offshore exploration would provide economic benefits to the towns and jobs for locals — but Mr Philp was not convinced it was worth it.

“There may be some jobs created but a lot of that would be fly-in fly-out type of jobs,” Mr Philp said.

“For job creation for our particular community, it’s not a big push through and they are an overseas company so the profits will leave Australia.”

A Department of Industry, Innovation and Science spokeswoman said attendees felt the sessions had “addressed some of their concerns around environmental issues” and given them an understanding regulation for oil and gas activity.

“Oil and gas exploration activities have been happening safely in the Great Australian Bight since the 1960s,” an information sheet stated.

Senator Storer, who will meet with industry groups on KI, said he also worried about the economic and environmental risks associated with any drilling program.

When Parliament resumes from Monday, he plans to work up an amendment for the Environment Protection Act to return final responsibility for drilling approval to the Environment Minister.

“This should never have been ceded by then Minister Greg Hunt in 2014,” he said.

The amendment would make the minister “directly answerable to the fishing and tourism industries … which have declared their opposition to drilling and also to rising concern expressed by councils and communities from Port Lincoln to Lake Alexandrina”, he said.

Originally published as Coastal South Australian towns get big sell on oil, gas drilling