Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator McKim, I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

Woodside's proposal to drill for gas right next to Scott Reef, releasing billions of tonnes of climate pollution out to 2070, would have unacceptable impacts on threatened wildlife such as the dusky sea snake, pygmy blue whale and green turtle and must be ruled out by the Federal Government.

It is a crucial time for the climate and for those in this chamber that have been captured by Woodside and other donors in the gas cartels of Australia. The Greens bring this motion to the Senate today as a matter of urgency. Scott Reef and the group of atolls and reefs 300 kilometres off the Western Australian coast near Cape Leveque in the Timor Sea at the edge of the continental shelf are home to an abundance of marine life. They sit in the middle of a migratory route for pygmy blue whales, 28 other kinds of marine mammal and thousands of kinds of fish. As a proud saltwater woman and custodian of sea country and also a proud Western Australian and a Greens senator, I know that the ocean is an extension of our waterways. After the survival of two ice ages in Australia, the ancient lagoons and the small straits that were once a separation of the lands are now hundreds of metres below sea level. Places like this are precious in Western Australia, and we have spectacular places for diving and swimming. Salt water is, in fact, part of our healing and celebration of culture, which is now the Australian way. It's on every postcard; the beautiful blue oceans and the beaches are what we are famous for.

Unfortunately for the reef, it sits on top of deposits of natural gas, and Woodside have eyed this off for their proposed Torosa field, part of the Browse project, one of the most damaging fossil fuel developments in Australia, which will pump out 1.6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 47 years. It's now time to rule out the Browse project and preserve this area of ocean while at the same time preventing millions of tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere. The Minister for the Environment and Water has also listed the dusky sea snake as endangered, and this is why the government need to stop Woodside if they have any sense of value for the environment and for the health and wellbeing our communities, particularly on the Burrup Peninsula, where this gas will be produced for export. First Peoples from both sides of this transnational border, fishermen and tourist operators will all be impacted when our important places like the reef are destroyed. You will absolutely see the effects for up to 300 kilometres from that location.

The economic base argument that we often hear is big marketing hysteria paid for and run by the gas lobbyists of this country. Gaslighting Australians about the gas shortage in the next decade is nothing short of misleading. Nearly 80 per cent of the gas in this country is exported, with the crumbs going to domestic markets because governments are too weak to stand up for Australians, especially in the west. We are paying premium prices while Woodside and the rest of the gas cartel bank their big profits. When governments fail to do their due diligence and fail in their election promises to strengthen the environment laws, they get a big fat zero for effort, particularly in Australia, where they preach about removing the green tape for their projects.

Today I'm urging senators in this place, especially those from Western Australia, to vote for this motion at a time when WA, with the exposure that we have to wind and sun, could be a world leader in accelerating a just transition to renewable energy which will help protect our communities, the environment and especially our economy. Take some time to think about the air quality and the emissions of this project until 2070 and the impact that will have directly on the cultural heritage, the marine life, the destruction of this planet and the health and wellbeing of my constituents in Western Australia on the Burrup Peninsula. It is time to axe the Browse project and show the Australian public that this Labor government can actually keep election promises and do something to preserve and protect the environment.