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Minister 'Bias' in Major Gas Project Extension Approval
Conservation groups say the approval could unleash about 4 billion tonnes of pollution, or roughly 10 times Australia’s annual emissions.
- On Tuesday, Federal Court hearings began for the Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock Art's legal challenge against Environment Minister Murray Watt's 40-year extension of Woodside's North West Shelf gas hub.
- Lawyer Angus Scott argued "apprehended bias" led to the approval, noting the department gave Woodside an "extensive opportunity" to comment on conditions while the public was excluded from the process.
- The North West Shelf project, where more than $34 billion has been spent since the 1980s, will release an estimated 4 billion tonnes of pollution, roughly 10 times Australia's total annual emissions, according to general counsel Adam Beeson.
- Conservationists claim Senator Watt signed off on the 2070 extension without considering climate change, while improperly factoring in economic benefits from the unapproved Browse gas field proposal by Woodside.
- "Decisions made today will have ramifications for generations," former Greens leader Adam Bandt said, underscoring the case's long-term significance for environmental policy and indigenous heritage protection.
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9 Articles
9 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources9
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left
43% Left
L 43%
C 29%
R 28%
Factuality
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