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ABC News
42 minutes ago
- ABC News
Murray Watt flags Woodside's North West Shelf project extension response could be delayed
A final decision on the future of Woodside's major gas plant could be delayed, with the federal environment minister revealing the mining giant has more time to respond to his provisional approval of its North West Shelf extension. Murray Watt last month threw his support behind Woodside continuing to operate its onshore gas processing plant in Western Australia's north for the next four decades. Woodside is considering the "strict" conditions attached to his approval, aimed at protecting ancient Aboriginal rock art in the Murujuga National Park on the Burrup Peninsula. Mr Watt said while the 10-day period to do so expires tomorrow, he wasn't certain that would happen. "We haven't received a final response from Woodside at this point," he told ABC radio. "When I handed down my proposed decision a couple of weeks ago, there was a 10-day comment period for Woodside to respond to. "That 10- day period expires [tomorrow], but I should say it's not uncommon for proponents in this situation to take a bit longer in coming back on those comments. "I can't predict exactly when it will be that Woodside will provide those comments once I receive them, consider them and make a decision on whether or not to approve the project." The North West Shelf is Australia's largest oil and gas precinct, located off the north-west coast of WA, near the regional city of Karratha. Woodside has several offshore platforms and undersea pipelines to enable it to extract gas, which is then processed at the onshore gas plant. In 2018, Woodside applied for a permit to extend the life of that plant beyond 2030, which triggered a long and controversial process which ultimately saw the proposal approved by the state, and most recently, federal governments. The North West Shelf extension sets the company up to expand its operations beyond the existing gas fields. The 2070 extension is seen as a critical step in extracting gas from the untapped Browse fields, north of Broome, without building new infrastructure to process it. Browse is said to have reserves large enough to meet Australia's entire domestic demand for almost 20 years. However, Woodside's application to drill there has yet to be approved, and after nearly seven years, is still going through environmental assessment. The North West Shelf extension was touted as a boon to WA industry, promising job security to thousands. But the move has left green groups furious, with critics warning opposition to Browse — which is still before the Environmental Protection Authority — will be fierce. Concerns are wide ranging, and include questions about what the project's emissions will mean for WA's climate targets. There's also alarm about the proximity of the Browse gas fields to the Scott Reef, which is home to endangered whales, turtles and corals. Traditional Owners have also threatened to take legal action against the life extension of the North West Shelf and Browse, concerned about the impact on priceless ancient rock art near the Karratha Gas Plant. Proponents maintain gas is a critical transition fuel in the switch to renewables, and an important export to countries moving away from coal.
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
WA fishers say federal plans to protect more ocean will increase seafood prices
Shoppers have been warned Australian seafood prices will rise and the nation will import more fish as a consequence of federal government plans to prevent commercial fishing in millions of hectares of ocean. Environment Minister Murray Watt told this week's UN Ocean Conference Australia would expand "highly protected" areas to 30 per cent of its territorial waters within five years. It represents a six per cent increase in ocean estate where extractive industries such as fishing or mining are locked out. The announcement follows the release last month of Sir David Attenborough's documentary Ocean, which shines a spotlight on global fishing practices. While green groups welcomed the news from the government, WA Fishing Industry Council CEO Melissa Haslam said it would hurt consumers. "Seafood prices will rise," she said. "In some cases you might see some fisheries close, they reach a brink where they cannot be economically viable anymore. "Alternatively where they continue, the cost of getting that fish to market just increases astronomically." Ms Haslam said Australian seafood was already struggling to compete on price point. "When the average Australian is in Coles or Woolworths, they'll look at the WA snapper at some extraordinary price per kilo," she said. Ms Haslam said Australians wanted to eat fish from local waters and not imported fish that may not be of the same quality. Ms Haslam said she was blindsided by Mr Watt's announcement, and frustrated at the broad statements being made about ocean management. "I understand the international pressure must be huge, and people look to first-world countries like Australia to lead the way, but someone needs to stand up and say, 'We are leading the way,'" she said. Ms Haslam said Attenborough's film should have shown the difference in fishery and ocean management practices between countries. "They never contacted us, they haven't contacted other [West Australian] commercial fishers that I'm aware of, so you're looking at a very skewed view of the world," she said. Ms Haslam said fishers did not broadly oppose marine parks, but they were not the "silver bullet" some portrayed them as. "They don't stop pollution, they don't stop oil spills — marine parks don't stop illegal fishers from other countries," she said. The Ocean documentary highlights the destructive impact of bottom-trawling on marine ecosystems, but the fishing industry argues it overlooks the strict regulations and sustainable practices of Australia's trawl fisheries. Trawling represents about two per cent of fishing activity in Australia, but it generates about 40 per cent of the nation's seafood. "When they show footage of trawling over the ocean floor that's causing terrible damage, I will guarantee you that footage was not taken in Australia or any other world-leading country that has highly regulated fishing practices," Ms Haslam said. Seafood Industry Australia CEO Veronica Papacosta shared Ms Haslam's frustrations. "You know, it was almost if it bleeds, it leads headlines," she said. "It just sounds better if it's all a big mess but in Australia we have worked so hard to make sure we have constant improvements. "In Australia we trawl on sandy bottoms — that talk on the documentary of ripping up the environment, we would lose our boats if we trawled across habitats [like that]." Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Minderoo Foundation contributed more than $3 million towards the production of Ocean — about half its overall cost. Minderoo Pictures executive director Malinda Wink said the film was made independently by Silverback Films, but Minderoo did have oversight of its scientific accuracy, as it did with all films it supported. "The narration scripts were entirely of Sir David and the team," she said. Ms Wink did not know if there were any shots of Australian commercial fishing used in the film. "I presume that management practices are different everywhere in the world, but the overarching narrative that Sir David has to share is that we need urgent action in order to restore oceans to a healthy state," she said. Speaking on ABC Radio National Breakfast, Mr Watt said protecting 30 per cent of Australia's territorial waters from all extractive industries was a good move for the environment and for fishers. "The scientific research tells us that as long as we preserve 30 per cent of our ocean space … it allows our ocean to replenish itself, fish stocks to re-grow, marine life to re-grow, coral to re-grow," he said. "In a sense, it's helping guarantee the long-term security of our commercial fishing industry as well, by making sure that there are fish remaining for generations to come. "Because when you protect those areas, fish then spill over beyond the protected areas."
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
A systematic maths approach could unlock stronger results across primary schools
When Nathan Forbes took on the role of principal at Budgewoi Public School in 2020, he recognised an opportunity to enhance the school's maths program. The school had room for improvement in maths results, with Nathan observing a diverse range of teaching approaches among staff, including discovery and games-based teaching strategies. Fast-forward five short years and a lot has changed. Teachers take a systematic approach to teaching maths, following a common lesson sequence from Foundation to Year 6 and explicitly teaching new content to students. Now, there's no guess work about what maths topics to teach or how, and lessons are fast-paced as kids have no time to waste. It's paying off. While there's still plenty left to work on, students and teachers have made great strides. Budgewoi's 2024 NAPLAN numeracy results improved from 2023, with Year 3 students performing well above students in similar schools. The question is: what's holding other schools back from doing the same thing? Budgewoi's journey shows us how challenging it is to lead school improvement, and why state governments need to invest in the kind of shoulder-to-shoulder support principals need. The challenge of school improvement Budgewoi serves a community with many families experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, including many Indigenous households. When Nathan arrived in 2020, he found a school deeply committed to student wellbeing but lacking focus on learning outcomes. 'I gained the sense that student learning outcomes were not the focus,' Nathan told us when we visited the school as part of the research for our report, How to implement great maths teaching in primary schools: a guide for principals. 'I developed the view that if we raised expectations of ourselves and our students, we were capable of much better results,' Nathan said. The transition wasn't easy. Some teachers initially resisted the shift to a systematic maths approach, where content was sequenced lesson by lesson and new content was taught explicitly — that is, in small chunks, with teachers providing whole-class explanations, lots of opportunities for practice and immediate feedback, before students work independently. Some teachers regarded it as 'really regimented, like the army'. Nathan said he had to build understanding about the cognitive science behind the approach, so staff understood that 'we're not doing it because other schools do. We're doing it because it's based on science and helps students to learn. Once teachers have the why, you can get into the what and how.' A turning point came when Nathan recruited two experienced maths leaders with expertise in explicit instruction — a decision he described as the best he ever made. These specialists helped refocus the school's approach, introducing structured training sessions and establishing observation and coaching cycles. They also implemented a new assessment schedule in maths, with quarterly 'data weeks' where staff analysed students' results to understand the impact of their teaching methods. Leaning on other schools for help Amy Haywood is the deputy program director of the education program at the Grattan Institute and co-author of the The Maths Guarantee report. ( Supplied: Amy Haywood ) Budgewoi didn't do this work alone. Its instructional vision was inspired by visits to three nearby Hunter Region public schools — Blue Haven, Charlestown South and The Entrance (which was just one year ahead in its implementation journey) — where systematic maths teaching had proven effective. These schools teamed up, developing a common set of sequenced and detailed lessons plans, which Budgewoi has now adopted. Nathan said the materials supported high-quality teaching while alleviating much of teachers' workload burden. The results speak volumes: accelerated learning, improved NAPLAN results and teachers developing significant maths curriculum expertise. Perhaps most importantly, the principal notes, 'Budgewoi's experience shows that good-quality teaching looks the same in the most disadvantaged and most advantaged schools, and all kids can learn maths if we teach the right way.' The case for Maths Hubs What if we could systematise this approach across Australia? This is where Maths Hubs come in. Drawing on England's Hubs model, Australia should establish 50 Maths Hubs as demonstration schools that showcase best practice and provide intensive support to about 150 other primary schools in their area. These hubs, established at existing high-performing schools, would bridge the gap between research evidence, education policy and classroom practice. With about $930,000 in additional funding per year, each hub school could employ a lead coordinator, a lead mathematics specialist and the equivalent of three full-time maths coaches. These specialists, who may also work part-time teaching at the school, would provide training to teachers across their region, including hosting school visits; conducting or unpacking demonstration lessons; and delivering topic-specific training. 'Maths Hubs' are demonstration schools that showcase best practice and provide intensive support to other schools in their area. ( Supplied: Budgewoi Public School ) Hubs would offer intensive, two-year partnerships to schools, starting with those most in need — those with low performance, inexperienced staff or a combination of both. These schools would get shoulder-to-shoulder support from hub coaches, including practical help improving their curriculum and assessment schedule. Within about 10 years, Maths Hubs could provide intensive partnership training to all primary schools in Australia. The evidence from England suggests this approach works. Its Maths Hubs program has been credited by the national school inspectorate with helping create 'a resounding, positive shift in mathematics education'. Australia should learn from Budgewoi Public School Budgewoi's experience shows that improving primary maths teaching is hard work. Without the right support, even the most dedicated school leaders will struggle to make systemic changes stick. But by establishing Maths Hubs, Australian governments can provide the on-the-ground support school leaders need. The stakes couldn't be higher. As Budgewoi's principal told us: 'I've made a lot of mistakes, and we moved quickly — maybe too quickly — but we've also made a lot of progress.' With Maths Hubs, more schools could make that progress, and make it faster. Our students deserve nothing less. Amy Haywood is the deputy program director of the education program at the Grattan Institute and co-author of the new guide for principals on How to implement great maths teaching in primary schools.
