Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms says shareholders should raise concerns with BP over its environmentally risky plan to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

BP is holding its Annual General Meeting today in London. A Climate Analytics report also released today stated an oil spill would be "devastating for South Australia's $442 million fishing industry and its tourism industries in coastal regions, worth more than $1 billion and decimate the rich and many endangered creatures of this ocean".

The Australian Greens welcome news the co-founder and project manager for ‘Shark Spotters’, a successful non-lethal shark mitigation program from Cape Town, has been crowdfunded to visit Australia in early March.

“It is disappointing that the Government and the ALP have moved to validate offshore petroleum titles in marine parks that were deemed invalid”, said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.

“Due to an ‘administrative oversight’ between 2008 and 2015 leases were not subject to environmental approval process (as they should be) so were deemed invalid. The Bill was rushed through the Parliament to fix the error and has passed into legislation today.

The Australian Greens welcome Senate support for their inquiry into proposed drilling off the Great Australian Bight.

"BP must be held to account for its shocking environmental record and poor community consultation. BP's initial submission to drill for oil off the Great Australian Bight was turned down by the regulator, NOPSEMA and it is high time this issue was put under the microscope," Greens Senator for South Australia Robert Simms said.

Australia has signed on to expand the list of shark species currently protected in a Sharks Memorandum of Understanding under the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) but continues to step away from legally binding international measures that would enforce protection of those species, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“Signatories to CMS are meeting this week in Costa Rica to discuss the expanded list of shark species.

Greens Senator for Tasmania, and spokesperson for Antarctic issues, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, supports the comments by the University of Tasmania Vice Chancellor Peter Rathjen that Tasmania’s hard-won world-leading competitive advantage in climate and Antarctic science should not be given up lightly.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “Peter Rathjen is right. Tasmania has worked hard to develop a global reputation in climate and Antarctic science and once you have earned this reputation you don’t just throw it away.

With the Geelong Star catching more seals and now also an endangered whale shark, Greens Fisheries spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, is calling for the Fisheries and Environment Ministers to intervene and send the factory-freezer vessel home.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Geelong Star is seemingly trying to collect the whole set of endangered or protected species in its giant net: first dolphins, then seals, then albatrosses and now a whale shark.

A number of offshore petroleum titles in marine parks have been deemed invalid following a major administrative error that occurred between 2008 and 2015, it has been revealed.

“There are offshore petroleum titles that maintained ‘prior usage rights’ – basically the leases were allowed to remain despite marine parks being declared over the lease sites that have apparently been renewed without environmental approval”, said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.

Greens spokesperson for Antarctic issues Senator Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the reported CSIRO job cuts:

“I am devastated to hear of the hundreds of jobs to be lost across CSIRO especially those 110 supposedly to be lost from the Oceans and Atmosphere division.

“The flagship for the Oceans and Atmosphere division is located in Battery Point, Hobart and is a critical component of Tasmania’s Antarctic and climate sector.

Greens spokesperson for Fisheries, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson says that with the Geelong Star leaving another trail of dead protected marine species it is time for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to send the factory-freezer vessel home now.