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The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has welcomed news from earlier this week that Norwegian multinational Equinor has abandoned its plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
In a case launched in the Federal Court earlier this year, EDO sought to overturn the environmental approval granted just before Christmas by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority for Equinor’s Stromlo-1 project.
The announcement earlier this week by Equinor that it is abandoning its plans for drilling means that the Federal Court action may no longer be relevant. However, in a statement, EDO noted that it was in the process of advising its client, The Wilderness Society (South Australia), as to exactly what the announcement will mean for the litigious process, given that the action is due to appear before the court next Wednesday.
Speaking following the Equinor announcement, EDO CEO David Morris said his organisation “strongly welcome[d]” the news that there would not be drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
“While the commercial motivation for that decision is not clear, the litigation that EDO is running in the Federal Court would have been a factor taken into account by directors when making decisions about the long-term future of this project. If our client’s case were successful, Equinor would likely have had to go back to the drawing board on its community engagement for this already highly controversial project,” Mr Morris said.
“Any oil spill as a result of drilling in the Bight would pose catastrophic risks to marine and coastal life across southern Australia. This pristine marine environment is a haven for whales and dolphins, including the world’s most important nursery for the endangered southern right whale.”
Mr Morris continued: “In 2020, there is also significant public concern about the development of new fossil fuel reserves and the impact on climate change, especially after recent devastating bushfires, drought and weather events. We urgently need to be reducing emissions, not increasing them, if the world is to meet internationally agreed targets for a safe climate.
“We join our client The Wilderness Society SA in welcoming this very good news for the environment.”
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Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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Jerome Doraisamy
