Today the Senate has began debating a Greens Bill to stop drilling in the Great Australian Bight and move for World Heritage Listing.

The power to stop Big Oil is in the hands of politicians in Canberra. Australian’s don’t want drilling in the Great Australian Bight. The Parliament must act.

I hope that when faced with the decision, parliamentarians recall the tens of thousands of people around the country braving the cold, and paddling out to protest drilling in the Bight.

It’s a simple choice, the Parliament can vote for people and planet or they can vote for Big Oil and the destruction of jobs and the environment.

We in the Parliament must protect the Bight, the endangered species that call it home, and the vibrant fishing and tourism industries that employ thousands of South Australians before it’s too late.

This Bill will not only ban drilling in the Bight, it will set it on the path to World Heritage listing.

The Bight is iconically Australian, it provides critical habitat for many threatened species, and it is part of our national identity. It deserves to be protected.