Latest news with #ConservationCouncilofWA
The Age
25-05-2025
- General
- The Age
Black cockatoo battle erupts south of Perth as sand mine looms
A battle is brewing in the southern Perth foothills with hundreds of people gathering at the weekend to protest against a sand mine set to clear hectares of banksia woodland in Oldbury. Ian and Dannie Morrow live within 500 metres of the proposed mine, but say their overwhelming concern is the potential destruction of 11.6 hectares of endangered black cockatoo habitat. 'The black cockatoos are struggling. They are coming into the wildlife centres starving, emaciated. They have no food left,' Ian Morrow said. 'When they fly over, the kids put down the iPad and go outside to watch them with us. It stops us in our tracks, they are so amazing; we want this species to endure for our kids and for their children.' Conservationists say the proposed clearing footprint represents vital feeding and roosting grounds for forest red-tailed and Carnaby's black cockatoos, and the Conservation Council of WA has launched a petition against it saying this is a vital ecological corridor between nearby wetlands. The mine has a troubled history, with locals fighting it since 2013. The global company now called Heidelberg Materials (previously known as Hanson Construction Materials/Rocla Quarry Products) had planning permission knocked back by the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire, but the shire was forced to back down after the company applied to the State Administrative Tribunal. The state government then issued a native vegetation clearing permit – two months before the federal government declared banksia woodlands a threatened ecological community. Now, both planning and clearing permissions have expired, and the shire has backed its residents by again knocking back planning permission. Another SAT trial will begin in a fortnight, with the shire expecting to fork out up to $50,000 in fees to defend its position.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-05-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Black cockatoo battle erupts south of Perth as sand mine looms
A battle is brewing in the southern Perth foothills with hundreds of people gathering at the weekend to protest against a sand mine set to clear hectares of banksia woodland in Oldbury. Ian and Dannie Morrow live within 500 metres of the proposed mine, but say their overwhelming concern is the potential destruction of 11.6 hectares of endangered black cockatoo habitat. 'The black cockatoos are struggling. They are coming into the wildlife centres starving, emaciated. They have no food left,' Ian Morrow said. 'When they fly over, the kids put down the iPad and go outside to watch them with us. It stops us in our tracks, they are so amazing; we want this species to endure for our kids and for their children.' Conservationists say the proposed clearing footprint represents vital feeding and roosting grounds for forest red-tailed and Carnaby's black cockatoos, and the Conservation Council of WA has launched a petition against it saying this is a vital ecological corridor between nearby wetlands. The mine has a troubled history, with locals fighting it since 2013. The global company now called Heidelberg Materials (previously known as Hanson Construction Materials/Rocla Quarry Products) had planning permission knocked back by the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire, but the shire was forced to back down after the company applied to the State Administrative Tribunal. The state government then issued a native vegetation clearing permit – two months before the federal government declared banksia woodlands a threatened ecological community. Now, both planning and clearing permissions have expired, and the shire has backed its residents by again knocking back planning permission. Another SAT trial will begin in a fortnight, with the shire expecting to fork out up to $50,000 in fees to defend its position.
The Age
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Green groups fail in bid to delay federal call on Woodside proposal
Two major conservation groups have lost their bid to further delay Environment Minister Murray Watts' decision on Woodside's 50-year North West Shelf extension. The deadline for a decision on the controversial proposal was delayed from March 31 until May 31 as a result of a 'reconsideration request' from the Conservation Council of WA and Greenpeace Australia to bring more of Woodside's Burrup Hub vision into the minister's assessment. Both Greenpeace and the Conservation Council WA argued Woodside's $30 billion Browse gas field development proposal – which would use North West Shelf assets – and the company's plans to build a carbon capture and storage facility should all be considered together. On Wednesday, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water notified the two groups that request was denied, paving the way for an imminent decision on the NWS proposal by Watt, who visited WA this week. The hub on the Burrup Peninsula in WA's north-west is expected to generate 4.3 billion tonnes of emissions over its lifespan, more than 10 times the nation's current annual total. Loading CCWA executive director Matt Roberts was disappointed with the department's decision. 'We have been saying all along that without the North West Shelf, there is no Browse gas project, the plant is dependent on the approval of drilling operations in and around the pristine Scott Reef in WA's north-west to supply the gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula,' he said. 'This extension is the centrepiece of Woodside's Burrup Hub, opening up widespread industrialisation of WA's oceans and iconic Pilbara and Kimberley landscapes.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Green groups fail in bid to delay federal call on Woodside proposal
Two major conservation groups have lost their bid to further delay Environment Minister Murray Watts' decision on Woodside's 50-year North West Shelf extension. The deadline for a decision on the controversial proposal was delayed from March 31 until May 31 as a result of a 'reconsideration request' from the Conservation Council of WA and Greenpeace Australia to bring more of Woodside's Burrup Hub vision into the minister's assessment. Both Greenpeace and the Conservation Council WA argued Woodside's $30 billion Browse gas field development proposal – which would use North West Shelf assets – and the company's plans to build a carbon capture and storage facility should all be considered together. On Wednesday, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water notified the two groups that request was denied, paving the way for an imminent decision on the NWS proposal by Watt, who visited WA this week. The hub on the Burrup Peninsula in WA's north-west is expected to generate 4.3 billion tonnes of emissions over its lifespan, more than 10 times the nation's current annual total. Loading CCWA executive director Matt Roberts was disappointed with the department's decision. 'We have been saying all along that without the North West Shelf, there is no Browse gas project, the plant is dependent on the approval of drilling operations in and around the pristine Scott Reef in WA's north-west to supply the gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula,' he said. 'This extension is the centrepiece of Woodside's Burrup Hub, opening up widespread industrialisation of WA's oceans and iconic Pilbara and Kimberley landscapes.
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Murray Watt under pressure in Perth as groups remain for and against North West Shelf extension
Murray Watt has promised to listen as he arrived in Perth for a series of meetings with all sides of the debate over a looming decision on Woodside's proposed North West Shelf extension. The new Federal Environment Minister has vowed to end the stalemate and make a decision by May 31. 'Looking forward to some really constructive meetings,' he said. 'There's a lot of Ministers who've got an interest in the issues within my portfolio and really looking forward to some constructive chats we'll have. 'I'll have a bit more to say about everything a bit later this afternoon.' He met with Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti, Labor Ministers Simone McGurk and Don Punch at State Parliament and was due to meet Premier Roger Cook and WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourne on Tuesday afternoon. 'The first thing I'll do is congratulate him on his new portfolio,' the Premier told reporters in East Perth. 'We'll be urging him to make a decision in relation to the North West Shelf gas extensions as soon as possible, but in a manner which provides for a safe and legally sound decision.' There are already signs Federal approval would be challenged in the courts, with Perth millionaire Janet Holmes a Court joining the ranks of conservation groups opposed to the $36 billion project. At a press conference outside State Parliament on Tuesday, she signalled her support for a potential court challenge and accused Woodside shareholders of pursuing profits ahead of cultural preservation. 'The shareholders of Woodside, I believe, are mainly overseas and all they want is money,' Ms Holmes a Court said. 'They couldn't care less about Indigenous art or climate change, they're interested in their dividends.' She urged Mr Watt to visit the site of Murujuga rock art before making a final decision. 'Woodside is dissolving and ruining this rock art, wanting to extend that vandalism for another 50 years' she said. 'There are petroglyphs there of animals that have been extinct in that part of the world for 7 or 800 thousand years. It's a mind boggling experience to go there.' The Conservation Council of WA has argued the extension of the North-West Shelf will add six billion tonnes of carbon pollution and delay the transition to renewable sources of energy. Mr Cook has argued the case for gas as a transition fuel and said a balance is needed. 'We know that this whole issue invites very passionate views on all sides of the debate,' he said. 'We stand with them in wanting to protect the Burrup Peninsula . . . but we have the circumstances in front of us now that piece of infrastructure is incredibly important. 'If we can maintain the Karratha gas plant that's a much better way to go than shutting it down now and seeing other developments, other projects have to develop the same sort of infrastructure to make sure that we can enjoy the benefits of that gas.' Woodside says the North West Shelf extension is necessary to support thousands of jobs and WA's future gas supply. Industry groups have warned any further delay, or a determination against the proposal, could deter investors. 'Major project investment decisions are not taken lightly,' Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said. 'There is significant upfront risk involved, and the ability to provide process and timeline certainty can be the difference between that capital being deployed here versus overseas.' The Australian Conservation Foundation, which is also meeting with Mr Watt, said oil and gas workers could find jobs elsewhere. 'The oil and gas industry in WA adds fewer jobs per dollar of value added to the economy than any other industry in the State,' ACF climate campaigner Piper Rollins said. 'If the WA Government was serious about jobs, they would be better off investing in Bunnings or Maccas.'
