Dear Prime Minister and Minister for the Environment,

I am a small business owner and parent gravely concerned about climate change. I am writing to urge you to reject Woodside’s proposed extension of its North West Shelf gas plant to 2070 under the EPBC Act.

I am deeply concerned about this proposal for several critical reasons:

Cultural Heritage Destruction: Woodside’s North West Shelf gas plant is spewing acid rain eroding 50,000-year-old Murujuga rock art – a significant cultural heritage site your government has publicly called for to earn a World Heritage listing. Extending the gas plant to 2070 would be a grave risk to this ancient, sacred treasure.

Climate Destruction: Woodside’s North West Shelf extension locks Australia into climate-polluting gas for decades and the gas plant is the centrepiece of Woodside’s giant Burrup Hub gas expansion that would have a lifetime climate pollution thirteen times larger than Australia’s annual pollution.

Nature Destruction: Woodside’s North West Shelf extension would enable the gas giant to drill for new gas right next to Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast. Woodside assesses that any oil spill at the Browse gas field would endanger 39 threatened species including endangered Pygmy Blue Whales that migrate through the area and endangered Green Turtles that nest and hatch their young at Scott Reef.

I strongly urge you to reject Woodside’s proposed extension of its North West Shelf gas plant to 2070 under the EPBC Act. Our cultural heritage, climate commitments and unique natural environment deserve protection for future generations.

Our future is renewable, and Labor can pass with flying colours. We just need to do the responsible thing – represent the people of Australia and stand up to the big gas polluters who profit from wrecking our climate, oceans and way of life.

Australians resoundingly voted no to the Coalition that promised to approve Woodside’s gas project – especially in Perth seats Fremantle and Curtin where it was a top voting issue.

Thank you for your consideration of this vital matter.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Hender

Chair of Sustainable Communities South Australia