Expansion of a massive gas development has cleared its final regulatory hurdle despite fierce opposition from some traditional owners.
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has formally approved the 40-year extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf project, imposing 48 conditions on the gas hub in a bid to protect ancient rock art located nearby.
Local Indigenous groups argue expansion of the site in Western Australia’s Pilbara region could damage the 40,000-year-old Murujuga petroglyphs, one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of rock engravings.
Environmental advocates and some Pacific leaders also criticise the North West Shelf extension, warning it could lock in more than four billion tonnes of climate pollution.
The federal government insists it can protect the environment and the rock art, while also supporting jobs associated with the gas project.
Preliminary approval was granted to the extension of the North West Shelf project in May, allowing Woodside to continue processing oil and gas until 2070.
The final project approval will slightly change the conditions imposed on the network of wells and processing facilities.
The federal government says the new restrictions are more specific than those in the preliminary approval.
Under the government’s restrictions, Woodside will be required to cut emissions of certain gases from the site by as much as 60 per cent.
Senator Watt has also placed extra legal protections over parts of the Murujuga rock art.
Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper on Thursday said the government would be at risk of international legal action for threatening the heritage status of the rock art if it greenlit the project.
It would also weaken Australia’s standing among Pacific neighbours, undermining Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s efforts to firm Australian influence in the face of Chinese pressure at the Pacific Islands Forum earlier in the week.
“We are all asking the same question across Australia and the Pacific – what is this government doing?” she said.