PROTESTORS staged a sit-in at Fremantle MP Josh Wilson’s office this week over a proposed extension to Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project.
Twelve protesters sat in Mr Wilson’s foyer on Tuesday, calling on the recently re-elected MP to speak up about Woodside’s plan for the Burrup Hub, which would mean pumping out gas for a further 40 years from 2030.
The Federal government’s decision on the hub, which is situated in Murujuga National Park near Karratha, is due next week after environment minister Murray Watt rejected calls from green groups for a rethink.
Protestor Emma Sangalli told the Herald the Woodside extension would be “disastrous” and could emit “up to 6 billion” tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Disrupt Burrup Hub protestors in Josh Wilson’s office. Photo supplied
“We requested that [Mr Wilson] meet with us and listen to our statement, which was demanding that he put pressure on federal Labor behind closed doors or publicly, to not rush an approval of the North West Shelf because of our extreme concerns about its impact on climate and cultural heritage,” Ms Sangalli said.
Mr Wilson was narrowly re-elected to Fremantle earlier this month, and Ms Sangalli said the sit-in “felt necessary” to “set the tone” for the MP’s next term.
“Fremantle is quite a progressive base generally, and we want a representative who is going to stay true to that, regardless of what their party wants, instead of speaking for the Labor Party,” Ms Sangalli said.
Mr Wilson met with newly appointed Minister for the Environment Murray Watt this week, and in a video to Instagram referenced the “big decision” about Burrup Hub that the Fremantle community “care about a lot”.
Ms Sangalli said it showed their call may have got through, but it’s “an inch of what he actually needs to be doing”.
Mr Wilson says he was “happy to meet with the group” and “listen to their concerns” about the extension before he met with Mr Watt.
“I understand and share some of the community’s concern about the proposed Burrup Hub extension, and I expect the decision will take account of the issues raised by all stakeholders,” Mr Wilson said.
“Murray Watt is assessing the application based on submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, and his decision will be made in accordance with the law.
“I have always been active in shaping the Albanese government’s commitment to reform our national environmental protection framework and I have always argued that decision-making needs to deliver significantly better outcomes for our environment, biodiversity, and First Nations heritage.”
by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER