A politically sensitive decision on the future of Woodside’s North West Shelf project has been delayed until after the federal election.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was due to decide on Woodside’s proposal to extend the operating life of its North West Shelf project by March 31.
Woodside wants to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas project in WA.
The assessment deadline was already pushed from February 28, after the WA government was slow to send through reports on industry impact on the Murujuga rock art on Burrup Peninsula, where Woodside’s Karratha Gas Plant operates.
The new deadline of May 31 was uploaded to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website on federal budget day.
The deadline pushes the decision past the expected early May election, but will almost certainly thrust the project into the election campaign.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has already committed to approving the project within 30 days if he leads his party to victory, claiming that Plibersek was delaying federal approval to appease Greens voters in Melbourne and Sydney.
WA Senator Michaelia Cash accused Plibersek of trying to sneak the controversial delay through on budget delay.
“It is an absolute disgrace and act of cynical political manipulation that the Albanese Labor Government has further delayed the decision on the extension of the North West Shelf gas hub until after the federal election,” she said.
“To quietly push it out until May 31, on budget day, beggars belief and is emblematic of this dishonest government.
“Western Australians deserve to know the future of this vital project before the federal election.
“Anthony Albanese has prioritised getting Greens’ preferences at the upcoming election over approving a project vital for Western Australian jobs, our energy supply and our economy.”
A Woodside spokeswoman said the delay to the proposal was “extremely disappointing”.
“We look forward to certainty for ongoing operations, which can support thousands of direct and indirect jobs, billions of dollars in taxes and royalties and secure gas supply to Western Australia,” she said.
A spokeswoman for Plibersek said the department had advised her it required more time.
“All projects follow the process as set out by the law put in place by John Howard’s government,” she said.
The North West Shelf extension will see the project continue operations until the 2070s and will be the foundation for Woodside’s aspiration to develop the Browse gas fields.
The WA government approved the project in December after a six-year assessment process.
The project has backing from the WA government and resources sector, but is vehemently opposed by environmental groups because it would mean the project would produce around 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide over its extended lifetime.
That equates to about three times the nation’s annual pollution.
Premier Roger Cook said he looked forward to the “federal process concluding promptly after the federal election”.
“Gas is critical to meeting the energy needs of Western Australia, which has both the strongest economy in the nation and the fastest growing population in the nation,” he said.
Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper, who led a Federal Court challenge to halt Woodside’s seismic blasting plan for its gas project off the north-west coast, said the decision was far too important to use to score “campaign points”.
For years, the former chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation has aired concerns about the impact of the company’s operations and emissions on sacred Songlines within the Dampier Archipelago and more than one million rock art petroglyphs.
She lambasted the WA government for rubber-stamping the extension without adequately considering a Murujuga rock art monitoring report and refusing to make it public, while highlighting the conflicting approach taken by its federal counterparts.
“The North West Shelf extension is one of the biggest cultural heritage decisions in Australia. It is far too big to rush, and far too important to politicise for campaign points,” she said.
“It is interesting to note that the federal budget released yesterday included funding to support Murujuga’s World Heritage nomination, while at the same time they are legislating changes to our environmental protections that may reduce our ability to stand up for our Country and ensure it’s protected from industrial damage in light of all the evidence.”
Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch said the delay was a disappointing example of the open-ended and uncertain approval processes driving away investment and damaging Australia’s reputation as a stable, predictable country to do business.
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