The first judicial review into Woodside’s Scarborough Gas Project has been dismissed by the West Australian Supreme Court.
EDO lodged proceedings on behalf of client the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) in December 2020, arguing changes to approvals for a project facility were made unlawfully, without a full assessment of their impacts on our climate.
The project is located on the Burrup Peninsula/Murujuga, an area rich with unique wildlife and cultural history. It is currently on the tentative World-Heritage list.
The approval changes mean the facility is now approved to process unlimited quantities of gas, helping unlock a major basin off the coast of Western Australia which will send Australia’s emissions skyrocketing.
Today, the WA Supreme Court found that the changes to the approvals were lawful.
CCWA’s second legal challenge over the project, lodged by EDO in November 2021, has yet to be heard.
EDO Managing Lawyer Tim Macknay said:
“We are disappointed in the outcome of these proceedings which sought to ensure the significant climate impacts of this project were properly assessed.
“We’ve just endured a record hot summer with devastating bushfires and right now thousands of homes on the east coast are under water amid deadly floods. Overnight the IPCC released its latest dire warning on the impacts of climate change on Australia and the world.
“It is imperative that projects like this face the toughest scrutiny and assessment.
“We will speak to our clients over the coming days to discuss the next steps.”
