Climate advocates and rock art experts challenge Woodside's 'carbon bomb' gas project in Australian federal court
A federal court case has begun against the Australian government's approval of the massive Woodside North West Shelf gas project, which critics say will cause enormous emissions and threaten ancient rock art.
The Australian federal court is this week hearing a challenge to the Albanese government's decision to approve one of the world's largest gas projects – the extension of Woodside's North West Shelf gas export project in Western Australia. The case is brought by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Friends of Australian Rock Art (Fara).
Environment Minister Murray Watt approved the project last year, allowing Woodside's Karratha gas processing plant to operate until 2070. The ACF estimates the project would release about 4 billion tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to roughly 10 years of Australia's annual emissions. Critics have labelled it a "carbon bomb".
The plant operates adjacent to the Murujuga indigenous rock art complex, home to over a million petroglyphs dating back 50,000 years, including the oldest known image of a human face. Fara argues that industrial emissions are already causing erosion of the petroglyphs and the extension will worsen the damage. Government-backed monitoring has largely dismissed these concerns, but some scientists remain unconvinced.
In the case, the ACF argues the minister failed to properly consider how emissions from the plant could cause substantial harm to protected environments. It also claims the minister lacked sufficient detail about the gas to be processed, partly because it includes gas from third-party projects not yet approved. The ACF further asserts that the minister incorrectly weighed the claimed economic benefits – a point also argued by Fara.
Fara is also seeking disclosure of meetings between Watt and Woodside during negotiations on approval conditions. The group, formed 20 years ago, helped secure national heritage listing for the area in 2007, creating the legal trigger for environmental assessment.
A significant development: UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riaño, has been granted leave to intervene as a "friend of the court". Her written submission outlines Australia's international environmental obligations, citing last year's landmark International Court of Justice opinion that countries must prevent significant harm to the climate system.
A Woodside spokesperson said the approval followed a comprehensive assessment by federal and state regulators and declined further comment due to ongoing proceedings. The case is expected to run all week, with an additional day scheduled for next Monday.
