Taxpayers are once again on the hook for cleaning up the mess left behind once oil and gas corporations are finished with their offshore rigs.
The government has offered a blank cheque for the clean up of an oil rig off the coast of Western Australia, after the two companies running it declared insolvency.
A government document reveals that there are no costings for the clean-up.
The last time this happened, with the Northern Endeavour, the decommissioning was estimated to cost $325 million but has since required $850 million.
Despite a legal requirement for onshore mining companies to pay a bond for site clean-ups, there is none for offshore oil and gas companies.
This loophole was exposed in the Federal Court in August, and Labor claims it will close this loophole through legislation next year.
In the meantime, big corporations are treating our oceans as a dumping ground for their old equipment and leaving the taxpayer liable for hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in clean up fees.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Vanessa Bleyer:
"Our oceans cannot wait any longer for this Labor government to end the free ride for the corporations that are polluting our oceans.
"Renters have to pay a bond. So do onshore mining companies. Yet offshore oil and gas corporations do not.
"There are 6000 kilotons of oil and gas infrastructure sitting in our oceans which will need to be cleaned up, at an estimated cost of $60 billion, otherwise it will continue to leach poison into our waters.
"The Australian Maritime Union wants this legislation, environment groups want this legislation, but the corporations do not.
"The government must stop acting in the interests of its corporate donors, and make these big oil and gas corporations clean up their act."
