Absolute climate vandalism happened this week during reconciliation week. The Albanese Labor Government approved Woodside’s North West Shelf gas extension. In his first act as Environment Minister, Murray Watt, has approved Australia’s largest and dirtiest fossil fuel project to operate until 2070. In making this decision, the Government has effectively approved 6.1 billion tonnes of Co2 equivalent emissions over its lifetime – that is around 14 times the total annual emissions of Australia – all while Southern Australia turns to dust and Australians die in yet another round of “once-in-a-lifetime” floods in NSW. Have they no shame?
When the Government has committed to net zero by 2050 (which is too late), this is not just extremely hypocritical, but an absolute climate disaster. And if wrecking our climate wasn’t enough, Australia Institute research shows gas export projects like these drive up domestic energy prices – all to feed corporate profits. But it gets worse. Independent research reveals that the North West Shelf expansion will also destroy the sacred and to-be-world-heritage-listed Murujuga Rock Art: one of the world’s largest, densest and most diverse collections of rock art engravings, assembled continuously over the past 50,000 years, making them older than the Lascaux cave paintings, the Pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge.
This vandalism did not need to happen. The Government has all the powers it needs to reject projects like this. After being elected on a promise to act on climate change, the Government could have made a choice to reject this proposal and to focus on rolling out renewables instead. But it didn’t. The Labor Government has once again shamefully caved to Woodside and the gas industry.
We will not take this decision lying down. Following the Federal Election, the ACT now has one of the most marginal seats in the country. So the Government will be listening to our voices more than ever! Just weeks after our vote, this is the time to ensure your voice is heard loud and clear. We can still stop this project and ensure no more of them are approved again. To do so, take the following actions:
- Call Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate office: (02) 9564 3588 and Minister Murray Watt’s electorate office: (07) 5532 1033 and tell them you oppose this project
- Attend tomorrow’s snap protest at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- E-mail Environment Minister Murray Watt to express your outrage at this decision. You can email him here: senator.watt@aph.gov.au
And make sure you cc’ in Canberra’s local elected Government representatives:
- Member for Bean, David Smith: david.smith.mp@aph.gov.au
- Member for Canberra, Alicia Payne: alicia.payne.mp@aph.gov.au
- Member for Fenner, Andrew Leigh: andrew.leigh.mp@aph.gov.au
- Senator Katy Gallagher: senator.katy.gallagher@aph.gov.au
4. Donate to our campaigns now to protect our environment, stop climate change, and fix our federal nature laws.