He also wants to introduce a National Interest Test for major projects seeking environmental approval. The test would take into account economic and social benefits.
Woodside's proposed 50-year NWS gas expansion should be subject to a National Interest Test.
It would fail miserably.
Here's why:
- It would potentially give Woodside hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Australian gas for free. Fail
- It would continue to push up gas and electricity prices in WA, which have tripled since Woodside started exporting the state's domestic gas. Fail
- It would likely drain WA's domestic gas reserves. With NWS offshore gas fields rapidly declining, Woodside wants to process gas from any third party, including onshore WA domestic gas. Fail
- It would continue to destroy one of the world's great artistic treasures, the Murujuga Cultural Heritage site. Fail
- The additional emissions would wipe out the emissions reductions from all of Australia's climate policies many times over, increasing the frequency and severity of fires, floods and other disasters. Woodside's own documents estimate greenhouse gas emissions are around 90 million tonnes annually, the equivalent of 12 coal power stations. Epic Fail
"The Australia Institute would welcome a National Interest Test on big gas projects like Woodside's North West Shelf gas export terminal extension," said Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor at The Australia Institute.
"It would fail miserably.
"Big gas companies like Woodside are draining Australia of gas, getting most of the gas they export for free, paying little or no resources tax and price gouging Australians for our own gas.
"Australian politicians should remember their job is to represent the interests of Australians, not the interests of a handful of mostly foreign-owned oil and gas corporations who are ripping Australians off every day of the year."
