Down Under, Woodside Petroleum’s North West Shelf gas project is in the news. Environment Minister Murray Watt very recently blessed a sizable 40-year extension to the project’s life. This sprawling industrial complex, located in Western Australia, is responsible for producing over 10 million tonnes of liquefied gas and petroleum each year. Additionally, the extension allows new operations to extend as far as 2070. It has set off a firestorm of alarm and litigation from nearly every affected stakeholder.
Regional leaders last month urged new Woodside Petroleum chief executive Meg O’Neill to fulfil her promise to fix environmental and cultural concerns around the project. She stated that Woodside has been engaging in “scientific combined with cultural heritage work” to monitor the impact of emissions on the Murujuga rock art, which is part of the Dampier Archipelago and holds significant cultural value for Traditional Owners. O’Neill acknowledged the pressing issues at hand, saying, “There is clear evidence that industrial pollution is destroying Murujuga’s ancient rock art, which is some of the oldest and most sacred cultural expression on Earth.”
The extension comes as other close Pacific island neighbors giantly plead for Australia to close the gas plant. They are concerned about climate change and sea level rise, with an eye to the future. Pacific leaders like Maina Talia have long raised the alarm on how the continued expansion of fossil fuels is an existential threat to their nations. “Pacific leaders have made it clear — there is no future for our nations if fossil fuel expansion continues,” Talia stated.
Environmental damage has been a looming issue raised by Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities. Raelene Cooper, a Mardathoonera woman, filed a last-minute application in the Federal Court to halt the project after its approval. Cooper emphasized her resolve to challenge the decision, stating, “I’m not on my own, I’m bringing warriors from this ngurra [Country] with me.”
The approval has been strongly condemned not only by Indigenous groups, but by environmental organizations. Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s CEO, David Ritter, condemned the decision, asserting that it “brings Woodside’s toxic gas plans closer to Scott Reef, holds back the clean energy transition underway in WA, and fuels growing climate damage in Australia and around the world.” He continued to attack the dramatic last minute inclusion of an industrial impact report, claiming it would completely overrule Traditional Owners concerns.
Senator Lidia Thorpe said she was disgusted by the approval process. In particular, she attacked Minister Watt for rejecting meetings with Murujuga custodians on his recent visit to WA. Thorpe remarked, “Choosing Reconciliation Week to push through this decision while sidelining First Peoples is not just disrespectful — it’s disgraceful.” She called the project’s expansion a “carbon bomb”, underlining the threat of an ongoing climate crisis.
Minister Murray Watt justified his decision with the fact that his decision was evidence-based and recommended by his own department. “Based on the evidence before me and the department’s recommendations, my proposed decision is subject to strict conditions,” he stated.
” We’ve got a 10-day window to work with the department to understand the conditions and we look forward to executing that work as quickly as possible,” O’Neill commented.
