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Environment minister accused of breaking transparency promise on North West Shelf conditions
Australia’s leading conservation advocacy group has accused federal Environment Minister Murray Watt of ignoring his own transparency promise by refusing to reveal the conditions applied to Woodside under his provisional approval of the company’s North West Shelf extension.
Watt’s decision to keep private the conditions on the 50-year extension of its North West Shelf assets on the Pilbara coast followed advice from Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water bureaucrats, internal department documents have revealed.
Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate campaigner Piper Rollins.Credit: Hamish Hastie
This masthead understands the conditions will likely not be made public until after Watt’s attendance at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris later this month, where he will argue for rock art on the Burrup Peninsula to be World Heritage-listed.
However, the Australian Conservation Foundation used Freedom of Information laws to obtain an internal department note from May 19, which recommended Watt approve Woodside’s proposal and agree not to publish the decision on the internet for public comment.
The note was dated three days before an interview with Watt published in The Daily Telegraph saw the new environment minister talk up the public consultation he would undertake in his role.
“I think the more transparent we can be, the more open to ideas and suggestions we can be, it maximises the chances of building the community’s confidence in the decisions that you make,” Watt said at the time.
Watt gave conditional approval to the extension subject to conditions around the management of the risk of emissions on the nearby Murujuga rock art gallery on May 28.
The conditions were meant to be made public 10 days from that date, but Watt extended that timeline.
Foundation climate campaigner Piper Rollins said Watt could have made the condition public and open to more consultation – as he promised in his comments to the media – but chose not to.
“This decision will have environmental and cultural consequences for many generations. Australians have a right to see what Woodside is being allowed to negotiate behind closed doors,” she said.
“The traditional custodians whose World Heritage-nominated Murujuga rock art is being damaged by industrial pollution from the gas plant deserve to have a say in the future of their country.
“The overwhelming public response to Minister Watt’s provisional decision to approve the North West Shelf extension to 2070 demonstrates the widespread concern about this climate and culture-wrecking project.
“Minister Watt should make public the proposed North West Shelf extension conditions and allow the public to have a say on Woodside’s proposal.”
Watt’s office declined to comment but pointed to previous comments, where he said it was not uncommon for proponents to take time in responding to proposed conditions.
“There have been constructive discussions under way between Woodside and my department since I handed down that proposed decision, but what we want to do is make sure that we can secure jobs and secure industry, but also not at the expense of our environment,” he said last month.
Last month, Woodside said the company and its North West Shelf joint venture partners were continuing constructive consultation with the Commonwealth.
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