Last month, the petroleum giant resubmitted its environmental plan for a proposal to drill for oil in the bight to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA). The initial plan was proposed in October, but the regulator demanded to introduce changes before consideration.
"This is totally inappropriate, so the message is going out all over the world now, BP cannot be allowed to do this,", Director of the environmental group The Wilderness Society Peter Owen told 9NEWS Melbourne.
In particular, they questioned the quality of BP's oil spill modelling, and expressed fear the drilling would put at risk the bight's diverse marine life.
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. It has long been exploited as part of the fishing, whaling and shellfish industries.
