Labor split over Great Australian Bight oil drilling

Senate committee fails to make official recommendations after South Australia Labor senator, Alex Gallacher, votes with Liberals

A Labor senator has broken ranks with his party to vote with Liberals in support of oil and gas drilling in the Great Australian Bight, deadlocking a Senate committee investigating the proposal.

The Greens have accused the Labor party of being directly influenced by donations from oil giant Chevron. A long-awaited Senate report into the consequences of opening up the Great Australian Bight Marine National Park for oil or gas production was published on Thursday.