The WA government has rejected a record number of community appeals and approved an extension until 2070 of North West Shelf, the centrepiece of Woodside’s Burrup Hub, which would make it the most polluting gas project in the Southern Hemisphere while also threatening UNESCO World Heritage-nominated Murujuga rock art.
The decision from the WA government now shifts the onus to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to decide the Albanese government’s response to Woodside’s Burrup Hub, the primary test for climate and cultural heritage in the country.
This is the first decision the WA government has made since changing its greenhouse gas emissions policy and means that Woodside’s Scope 1 emissions will not be subject to state emissions conditions.
If the North West Shelf extension is also approved by the federal government, Woodside’s Burrup Hub would emit more than 6 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2070 and become the largest fossil fuel project in Australia, generating more than 14 times Australia’s total annual emissions over the project’s lifespan.
Approval of the key part of Woodside’s Burrup Hub would risk further major damage to UNESCO World Heritage-nominated rock art on Murujuga from acid gas pollution, after Woodside previously destroyed an estimated 5,000 pieces of rock art during initial construction of the North West Shelf facility in the 1980s.
Research also shows that Woodside’s Burrup Hub will reduce domestic gas supply by increasing export capacity and pressure on governments to open up more gas fields to supply the facility, illustrated by the WA government’s recent approval of onshore domestic gas exports.
The WA government’s decision means there is an increased threat of the Kimberley being opened up to fracking and unlocks the prospect of Scott Reef being destroyed for Woodside’s Browse gas proposal, which the WA EPA has already found against due to the unacceptable risks the project poses to endangered whales, turtles and other marine life and the potential for a catastrophic oil spill
With overwhelming evidence of the impact this project would have on ancient rock art and the climate, and profound community opposition for gas exports to be extended to 2070, Minister Plibersek has the opportunity to make the right call and deliver on the Albanese government’s climate commitments while protecting globally significant Aboriginal culture.
Anna Chapman, the Fossil Fuels Program Manager at the Conservation Council of WA, said today:
“The WA government just failed the community and future generations by approving the largest fossil fuel project in the Southern Hemisphere, dismissing a huge number of appeals against it.
“This is a monumentally destructive decision by Minister Reece Whitby and the WA government that seeks to lock in huge volumes of fossil fuel production until 2070.
“It means that the Kimberley is at increased risk of fracking, and that the pristine Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast is at greater risk of destruction from Woodside’s Browse gas plans.
“The evidence shows that emissions from Woodside’s Burrup Hub risk serious damage to ancient, globally significant Murujuga rock art, currently nominated by the federal government for UNESCO World Heritage status.
“This is the first decision the WA government has made since changing its greenhouse gas emissions policy and means that Woodside’s Scope 1 emissions will not be subject to state emissions conditions.”
“Gas is holding us back in WA. Rather than capitulating to pressure from Woodside and other major oil and gas companies, we need our governments to be phasing out gas, building the necessary renewables infrastructure and creating thousands of new clean jobs in renewable energy.
“For the sake of our climate, communities and cultural heritage, we are calling on Minister Plibersek and the Albanese government to listen to the community, hold firm against pressure from the fossil fuel industry, and prevent Woodside’s Burrup Hub from pushing us beyond climate tipping points and destroying the ancient Murujuga rock art.”