David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Later today, I will table a petition with more than 440,000 signatures calling on the government to protect Australians from the destruction that would come from an expansion of Woodside's Burrup Hub gas project. That is 440,000 people calling on the government to do what is right. This is the fifth-biggest petition in the history of this parliament. The petitioners are calling on the government to start making decisions like we will be here for a long time, to make decisions for young people and future generations, to make decisions that will protect the climate and the environment—the people and places we love. If approved, the Burrup Hub gas project would be the largest fossil fuel project in Australia. It could lead to 6.1 billion tonnes of CO2, roughly 13 times Australia's annual emissions. It poses an unacceptable risk to the incredible Kimberley coast and to the more than 1,500 species that call it home, including many endangered species. It would be nothing short of a gas-led destruction of pristine ecosystems.

Last week, we learned that the WA EPA has made a preliminary finding that the proposal is unacceptable. This is an opportunity for the environment minister to stand up and put an end to the disastrous proposal before the next election. Minister, please do not kick this can down the road. Australians deserve to know whether the Labor government will sit on the right side of history before they go to the ballot box. I urge the minister to recognise the importance of Scott Reef and the incredible marine environment of the Browse Basin, and put the protection of what matters ahead of the short-term profits of Woodside and the gas industry.