Port Fairy's Ben Druitt could barely contain his excitement when he found out the Fight for the Bight had been won.
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He was involved in a number of events held locally to protest against Norwegian energy company Equinor's plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
Mr Druitt said at first he was overcome by a feeling of disbelief.
"Once I realised that Equinor had actually withdrawn from the Bight I felt a mixture of relief and happiness that the Bight had dodged another bullet and all the work had paid off," he said.
Mr Druitt said he had no doubt people power had played a role in the decision.
"Increasingly executive boards are required not just to look at the financial aspect of projects but to consider the social licence to proceed," Mr Druitt said.
"We know that people power has been making executives in Equinor increasingly nervous both here and in Norway and the continued barrage of social media comments has been an ongoing marketing problem for Equinor.
"The climate change agenda is now front and centre in politics and big oil is the new big tobacco." Mr Druitt said he could not thank members of the south-west community enough for their support.
"The community support for this issue has been nothing short of amazing," Mr Druitt said.
"The Warrnambool protest last year had close to 1000 people turn out. That's huge and it just shows you the level of concern there is in the community for working towards a future that builds long-term prosperity for humanity and rejects unsustainable industries that steal from future generations."
Mr Druitt also thanked Moyne Shire councillor Jordan Lockett and Warrnambool City councillor David Owen for their support.
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