- Albanese Government’s decision paves the way for Browse Basin gas drilling, putting important coral reef ecosystems and wildlife at risk.
- The decision will worsen climate impacts without delivering domestic energy benefits.
- AMCS urges the government to reject the Browse – Scott Reef project and show real climate leadership.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has condemned the Albanese Government’s decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf gas processing facility, warning it opens the door to devastating new gas drilling at one of Australia’s most important marine ecosystems: Scott Reef.
AMCS Chief Executive, Paul Gamblin said: “This highly regrettable decision paves the way for massively polluting fossil gas from the Browse Basin to be drilled and processed at the NWS — and that puts Scott Reef directly in the firing line.
“Scott Reef is a remote, globally significant coral ecosystem that has remained largely untouched. Approving a project that could industrialise its waters is reckless, short-sighted and deeply distressing.”
Scott Reef lies at the heart of the controversial Browse Basin gas project, led by Woodside. The gas extracted from beneath and around the reef would be piped hundreds of kilometres to the North West Shelf for processing and export. Woodside proposes to dump some of the overall pollution from this carbon bomb under the sea floor near Scott Reef, locking in ongoing seismic blasting, drilling and risks of leaks and harm to marine life
“This isn’t a project to help Australian households, 90% of the gas is for export. It won’t lower power prices. It will, however, raise emissions and put one of our last intact reef systems at risk,” Mr Gamblin said.
This unfathomable decision comes just weeks after mass coral bleaching on both coasts, at Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef – fuelled by climate change – and just days after Woodside spilled 16,000 litres of oil into waters north of Ningaloo – a stark reminder of the damage this industry is already doing to our oceans.
The Albanese Government is risking further irreversible damage – not only to fragile ecosystems such as Scott Reef – but also to Murujuga’s internationally acclaimed rock art, a site of profound cultural significance and nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing. That this decision came on the same day as damning findings from ICOMOS and IUCN – confirming that the North West Shelf is causing harm to the rock art – is a highly regrettable moment for any government. Minister Watt had clear grounds to defer or refuse the NWS extension.
While AMCS described the NWS decision as a serious setback for climate and ocean protection, the organisation made clear that further damage is not inevitable.
“One bad decision does not have to lead to another. The government still has a choice — to stop Browse, to protect Scott Reef, and to lift the bar on what Australians expect from climate leadership.”
AMCS called on the Albanese Government to live up to its climate and biodiversity commitments and refuse further fossil fuel expansion.
“Sacrificing Scott Reef for a short-term fossil fuel play would be unforgivable. Australians want leadership that looks to the future — not one that keeps handing the keys to giant fossil gas corporations,” Mr Gamblin said.
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Image: Nush Freedman Photography