You'd think so, that consumer groups and industry would protest...

You'd think so, that consumer groups and industry would protest but the last few years the Gov, not just of australia but globally have been constructing a population that is compliant and accepting of all that it is fed. I've just come back to australia after 6 years away, what a change, plastic is almost king now, cash is an inconvenience, people seem so stressed, the prices of everything have just exploded, I can't remember seeing so many homeless around the place.
Hopefully the green light gets given soon.
One conspiracy theory I have for the delay is that maybe the gov and Advent are trying to time it very close. If Advent contract a rig and the gov gives the go ahead so that the rig can almost immediately drill then that might stop any mid ocean protests or protagonists trying to stop it at the last hour. Just get on with it.