Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

People all across Australia are horrified by the climate and environmental impact of expanding our fossil fuel industry. This horror can lead to anger, disengagement, denial, disruptive protests or loss of faith in our system. But some of us still have hope that we can address the decarbonisation challenge using the tools we have. Today I will be tabling this Greenpeace petition signed by 440,000 people, asking the government to protect the environment from Woodside's gas expansion plans. This is the largest petition presented during this parliament—more than double the next-largest, which had 185,000 signatures. In fact, according to the Parliamentary Library, this petition appears to be the fifth-largest petition ever presented to this parliament. This is significant. Instead of protest, anger, or disempowerment, nearly half a million people are respectfully using one of the tools of our democracy to be heard.

So why is this so important to so many people across Australia? Scott Reef is a fragile tower of coral reef 200 kilometres off the WA coast. It has a circular reef to the north and a horseshoe-shaped reef to the south, joined by a large, deep lagoon. It's teeming with life: sharks, sea snakes, rays, sawfish, seabirds, fish, invertebrates, coral and sponges. It's one of a series of isolated atolls along the north-western Australian coast that was once a massive barrier reef like the Great Barrier Reef. There are at least 29 species of marine mammals on Scott Reef along with 41 species of birds and almost a thousand species of fish, with many more amazing and unique animals, some of which haven't been found anywhere else. It's a snack stop for migrating birds and critical habitat for endangered pygmy blue whales who are migrating and foraging up and down the WA coast. Genetically unique and endangered green sea turtles swim vast kilometres specifically to reach their birthplace, the tiny Sandy Islet on Scott Reef, to lay their eggs. Because it's 200 kilometres offshore, we haven't spoiled it yet. There aren't many places like this left on earth.

Australia's largest untapped conventional gas reserve, the Browse Basin, lies directly under Scott Reef. This gas is trapped under the tower of coral, which has grown and adapted over millions of years supporting this fragile ecosystem. Woodside's Browse project, which will feed its Burrup Hub expansion, creates huge risks for this fragile ecosystem. Woodside plans to drill up to 50 wells and pump the gas long distances to shore. This project creates huge environmental risk and damage, with drill sites so close to the habitats of endangered species and the ever-present risk of a catastrophic oil spill which could cover the turtle nesting shoreline and kill significant numbers of marine animals. There's also a risk of subsidence once the gas is removed. Imagine a thousand green sea turtles paddling hundreds of kilometres to return to their birthplace only to find that it's now underwater and they can't lay their eggs. They don't have a plan B.

The Browse Basin would feed gas to the proposed Burrup Hub. It's really hard to understand the scale of this proposed project not only for its environmental impact but also for its climate impact. Woodside is seeking an expansion and extension to the processing facility at Burrup Hub through to 2070—yes, 2070. This is a plan to be processing fossil fuels 20 years after the world needs to reach net zero. The emissions from the extraction, processing and burning of the Burrup Hub gas would be more than 12 times Australia's annual emissions—one project responsible for 12 years of all of Australia's emissions. Think of all the effort we're putting into decarbonising while this one project would overshadow all of our efforts. Proceeding with Browse will make it harder for Australia and the world to reach their decarbonisation targets.

Woodside is seeking approval for this massive project in stages. The WA EPA is still assessing part of it, and the environment minister will then have the opportunity to consider it. So many of our political tools in our system are ill equipped to deal with long-term threats like environmental damage and climate change, but we have to use the tools we have. In receiving this petition, the environment minister will have the opportunity to show half a million people that their hope is not misplaced and that our democratic system can be used to drive positive, long-term thinking and change. I urge the minister to listen and prioritise nature and our future over Woodside's profits.

I seek leave to table Greenpeace's 'stop Woodside's drill' petition, signed by 440,000 Australians.

Leave granted.

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