By Jesinta Burton
Dozens of protesters have descended on Woodside’s Perth headquarters after the WA government green-lit the company’s plan to run its North West Shelf plant for another 50 years, paving the way for its contentious $30 billion gas project.
More than 70 protesters flanked by police wielded signs evoking flames and extreme weather events, voicing concerns about the plant in the state’s north-west. And writer Tim Winton, a vocal opponent of fossil fuel expansion, has likened the state’s premier’s justification to Orwellian “doublespeak”.
‘Roger the Cook’ outside Woodside’s Perth headquarters on Friday morning.Credit: Jesinta Burton
The project is expected to generate 4.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifespan. Protesters reserved special criticism for WA Premier Roger Cook, with an eight-foot “Roger the Cook” caricature donning a chef’s hat and Woodside apron holding a frying pan containing the Earth.
Activists called on Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who will now make the final decision, to disallow the plant’s extension to operate until 2070, and Greenpeace also coordinated the dropping of a giant banner next to Plibersek’s electorate office in Sydney.
Protesters later made their way up St Georges Terrace to Dumas House, lying across the reception floor as employees attempted to enter the government offices.
Cook played down the criticism and backed the right of protesters to take peaceful action, even reflecting on the “maximum disruption” strategies he deployed as a student political leader.
A protest banner placed outside the office of the federal environment minister on Friday. Credit: Greenpeace
But he staunchly defended the government’s conduct, maintaining that the state needed to balance gas supply security with environmental considerations and touting the role of gas in the global transition to clean energy.
“I’ve got no truck with people who want to make their voices heard … when I was young, we would always design these protests for maximum disruption, for maximum impact, and then once we had got our message across, we moved on,” he said.
“The extension of the North West Shelf project is an important step in having the capability to provide gas into the future, not only for our friends overseas who are looking to decarbonise their electricity grids, but also for Western Australia.
“We are the only state in Australia that will be out of coal by 2030, which is roughly double the emissions of gas, and so getting coal out of the system is the first significant step in making sure that we reduce emissions and reduce the impact on climate.”
Woodside has previously declared its support for respectful debate around climate change, but has condemned protests that disrupted or pose a risk to its employees.
The protest outside Woodside’s Perth headquarters on Friday morning.Credit: Jesinta Burton
The protests come less than 24 hours after Environment Minister Reece Whitby declared the proposal be implemented, subject to conditions.
Author Tim Winton, who campaigned against fossil fuel expansion, responded to the premier’s comments on Thursday that gas was a smoothing fuel in WA’s clean energy plan, and that WA was “trying to save the planet, not just trying to save Western Australia”.
Winton said the decision was “disappointing” but called the premier’s language “quite illuminating”.
“Gas as a smoothing fuel. I mean, that’s smoothing talk, right? You can hear money well spent, years of spin and lobbying, talking points,” he said.
“We are in for another 50 or 70 years of “smoothing” as we descend into the rough reality of climate breakdown. But then [the premier] starts talking about saving the world – Burrup Hub to save the world? At that point, I got a bit embarrassed for him, even the folks at Woodside probably blushed. Why overcompensate unless you’re feeling a bit defensive?
“I feel a bit sorry for him. Imagine how hard it is to say no to Woodside when you are just a state government, and they are a mighty empire.”
Winton referenced Minister Whitby’s recent comments that WA would have to live on “grass and honky nuts” if it moved away from gas.
“That is the new language and that is how successful the fossil fuel spin has been; that in order to get clean we need to be really dirty for 50-70 more years,” Winton said.
“Orwell had a phrase for that. He called it doublespeak.
“Looking at the press conference and seeing the grief and anguish on [Traditional Owner] Josie Alec’s face … was a sign of how many vulnerable people are about to be smothered by the juggernaut. And the ease with which her anguish is dismissed tells you a lot about our state.
“It’s a lot of words from the premier and Woodside, but a lot left unsaid about the consequences; for Murujuga’sWorld Heritage rock art, for country, for climate, for reefs. An iceberg of words, in which all the meaningful ones were out of sight. It felt very familiar.”
Under the plan, Woodside would be required to undertake a review of operational measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions within 12 months of the approval and then on a five-yearly basis.
The oil and gas giant would also need to lodge a new marine management plan before 2026, document its environmental performance, monitor air quality and consult Murujuga traditional landowners.
The decision follows Whitby’s dismissal of more than 700 appeals contesting the approval of the plan by the state’s environmental regulator in 2022 and the WA government’s decision to handball responsibility for CO₂ reduction to the Commonwealth.
The state’s Environmental Protection Authority gave the proposal the nod on the condition Woodside gradually decreased its emissions every five years to zero between 2030 and 2050.
The plan to extend the life of Australia’s largest export facility is a critical part of the Browse joint venture between Woodside, BP, Mitsui, Mitsubishi and PetroChina, which hinges on its ability to pipe gas 1000 kilometres from the field to the 40-year-old plant for processing.
In August, WAtoday revealed that the EPA’s preliminary view was that the Browse gas export project should not go ahead over the threat it posed to endangered animals and the risk of an oil spill.
Both projects have faced staunch opposition from conservation groups over their environmental impact, from emissions from the $45 billion company’s LNG plants to the erosion of ancient World Heritage nominated Aboriginal rock art.
The approval has been met with scathing criticism, with Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O’Shanassy branding it “irresponsible in the extreme” and the Conservation Council of WA accusing the WA government of “capitulating” to pressure.
The WA government has vowed to reach net zero by 2050, but is the only jurisdiction nationally without a 2030 emissions target and where emissions are rising.
On Thursday, the oil and gas giant’s executive vice president Liz Westcott said the company was committed to meeting all environmental requirements, including the approval conditions and its obligations to traditional owners.
Under the NWS approval, Woodside will be required to regularly review operational measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions, lodge a new marine management plan before 2026, monitor air quality and consult Murujuga traditional landowners.
With Emma Young
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.