Inquiry to probe BP Great Aust Bight plan

A Senate committee will investigate BP's plan to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.

The inquiry, instigated by independent senator Nick Xenophon and Greens senator Robert Simms, will look at the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of the exploratory project and any future oil or gas production in the region.

Senator Simms said the region should not be put at risk for the sake of companies with terrible environmental track records, referring to BP's devastating 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.