Exploration for oil and gas has been undertaken in the Great Australian Bight region since the late 1960s. There have been recent plans to further explore the Bight by a number of companies, including BP, Statoil/Equinor and Chevron. These proposals were to drill exploration wells in the southern part of the area from 2017 onwards. On 11 October 2016, BP withdrew their plans to explore the area stating that it was not competitive and did not align to their strategic goals. The proposal to explore in the bight has been the focus of community opposition and modelling commissioned by The Wilderness Society showed that a worst-case scenario leak of oil could have a catastrophic effect on the southern coastline of Australia. The Australian Senate commenced an inquiry into oil or gas production in the Great Australian Bight on 22 February 2016. The committee was reestablished on 13 September 2016 following the Australian Federal Election. National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority approved exploration plans in late 2019.