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Plugged oil leak not the final chapter for one of Australia's worst environmental disasters
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The Australian Marine Conservation Society is relieved that the oil leaking from the West Atlas rig in the Timor Sea has finally been plugged, however this environmental disaster is far from over. The Commission of Inquiry announced yesterday must ensure that our oceans are better protected from oil and gas development.
"Plugging the leak is not the end of the environmental impacts of this oil spill; it is not even the beginning of the end - it is only the end of the beginning. Thousands of tonnes of oil have polluted the Timor Sea leaving a toxic legacy that will continue to harm the region's wildlife for years to come," said Darren Kindleysides, Director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Experience of major oil spills elsewhere in the world suggests the environmental consequences of the West Atlas disaster are far from over. The impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska are still being felt two decades after the tanker ran aground in 1989.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society welcomed yesterday's announcement of a Royal Commission-like inquiry by Minister for Resources, Energy and Tourism Martin Ferguson. However Australia's leading marine conservation group emphasised that the inquiry must make tangible progress to protect Australia's oceans from the threat of oil and gas development.
"Setting up an inquiry with the powers and authority of a Royal Commission gives due recognition to the seriousness of the environmental disaster that has unfolded over the last 10 weeks in the Timor Sea. However, this must not be simply a box ticking or wrist slapping exercise," said Kindleysides.
"This inquiry must flush out any wrong doing that led to one of Australia's worst environmental disasters in recent years and impose heavy sanctions and penalties on those responsible. The Government must be prepared to revoke oil and gas exploration licences for companies that can't be trusted to operate in an environmentally safe manner," Kindleysides continued.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society is calling for the inquiry to: |
- be open and transparent, including public hearings;
- determine the causes of the oil spill and recommend changes to the regulatory regime to cut the risk of this happening again;
- impose penalties upon any breaches of law that contributed to this disaster;
- determine the adequacy of the response and identify improvements to Australia's preparedness for responding to future oil spills;
- direct the Government's long-term environmental monitoring programme to report its findings publicly and formally on a regular basis;
- review the implications of the oil spill for Australia's international commitments to protect the marine environment and consequently determine measures for better safeguarding our oceans from industry as a whole, including establishing marine sanctuaries where oil and gas development is not permitted.
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| "The Timor Sea is one of the last intact marine ecosystems on the planet. The West Atlas oil spill exposes how woefully under-protected our oceans are from industrial development. We expect the inquiry to make concrete recommendations for better protecting our seas from oil and gas development, including establishing marine sanctuaries as safe havens for our marine wildlife," Kindleysides concluded. |
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Media Contact: |
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Darren Kindleysides, AMCS Director: (07) 3393 5811 mob: 0422 396 077 |
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