Outrage as Indigenous activist blocks blasting plan for massive gas project on her country: ‘Our laws need rewriting’

An indigenous activist has successfully blocked seismic explosions at sea for a $12 billion gas project.

Raelene Cooper, a traditional custodian of Western Australia’s Murujuga country, was successful on Thursday in her challenge in federal court against Woodside who carried out the subseabed explosions for his Scarborough gas project.

Ms Cooper said she was very concerned about the impact of the seismic activity on whales and turtles, which are of great cultural importance to her.

“The risks and impact of such destructive activities and the consequences of these actions will be life-threatening for these species,” she said.

Thursday’s ruling marked a victory for groups opposed to fossil fuel developments, but a spokesman for Woodside said blocking the seismic blasts would not affect the Scarborough project’s target of completing the project by 2026. to produce the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Woodside wanted to conduct undersea seismic blasting for its $12 billion Scarborough project (pictured)

Ms Cooper filed an application with the court in August arguing that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) had erred in approving the Woodside explosions because the company had failed to comply with the condition to consult her carefully.

Judge Craig Colvin agreed, saying NOPSEMA did not have the authority to make the decision to accept the environmental plan because it had not consulted all parties, and so the approval was invalid and quashed, court documents showed.

“Cooper was a person who was required to be consulted by the terms,” Judge Colvin said.

On Thursday, she said the court’s ruling gave her hope that issues other than money were being considered.

‘I’m so excited. I want my gang back home to be stronger today. This is bigger than me, it’s about my people and our history,” she said.

The huge Scarborough field is located in the Carnarvon Basin, about 375km off WA’s north-west coast.

NOPSEMA said it was reviewing the ruling to ensure that future regulatory measures “are consistent with the decision.” After the court’s ruling, the environmental plan will be returned to NOPSEMA for assessment.

Woodside said it would continue to work with NOPSEMA to have an accepted environmental plan in place before beginning the seismic survey.

Seismic research maps the reserves of fossil fuels under the seabed by blowing compressed air from a specially adapted ship. The sound of the explosions causes sound waves to bounce from the seabed to sensors in the ship.

Ms Cooper protested outside Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s office earlier this year

The multi-billion dollar gas project will be connected to new offshore facilities via a 430km pipeline to the onshore Pluto liquefied natural gas facility, near Karratha.

The development phase includes the installation of a floating production unit, with eight wells to be drilled initially and thirteen wells to be drilled over the life of the project.

Woodside expects to process about five to eight million tons of gas per year.

Ms Cooper’s lawyers, The Environmental Defenders Office, said the project would result in the release of carbon bombs estimated at 878.02 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over the life of the project.

Lawyer Clare Lakewood said Woodside intended to proceed with seismic blasting, while the question of whether their approval was valid remained unresolved.

“When NOPSEMA authorized these explosions, it was on the condition that our client would be properly consulted before proceeding,” she said.

‘Our client argues that the consultation requirements must be met before NOPSEMA can grant approval, and not afterwards. In any case, the consultation did not take place.’

Speaking to conservative commentator Andrew Bolt on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce blasted the decision, saying it was “dangerous” because Australia made money from such fossil fuels and mining projects.

“How do you expect to pay for hospitals, schools, defense and roads if you don’t make any money?” said the Nationals MP.

“Our job is to make money if you want to make this economy work; it cannot function without income. You’ll be poor and poor isn’t much fun.’

Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt said the decision parallels Indigenous Voice and how it could “polish” the works of these types of projects.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said fossil fuels and mining projects are how Australia made money and paid for hospitals, schools and social security

Joyce and Bolt drew a comparison with the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which said such consultations could ruin the functioning of government processes.

‘What concerns me about this is the use of the word consult. Isn’t the Voice about consultation? And yet we hear through the Voice debate that there is nothing to worry about,” Joyce said.

“If you don’t like it, show me the hospital you don’t want, the road you don’t want, the social security support you don’t need.”

“All the clothes you wear, the overseas car, the overseas fuel, the overseas television, well, something has to happen on a boat going the other way.”

Bolt added: ‘If traditional owners can stop projects far out at sea claiming it will harm a whale song rule then our laws certainly need to be rewritten.’