Media release: Confirmation of WA government interference in key Murujuga research report ahead of North West Shelf legal challenge this week
Friends of Australian Rock Art
Tuesday 19 August 2025 - For immediate release
The Friends of Australian Rock Art have reacted to revelations that the WA state government wrote the contentious executive summary of the highly controversial 2025 Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program Report (MRAMP), not the Curtin University scientists who were contracted to produce the report that formed a crucial plank of the approval for Woodside’s North West Shelf extension.
The stunning admission was contained in an email from the lead scientist on the Woodside-funded MRAMP report, Benjamin Mullins, in which he stated that the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) put a “very rosy spin” on the results in the executive summary of the full report, stating they “hoped everyone would only read the summary and not the full report.”
Mullins’ email, released under FOI, also states that the Curtin University scientific team responsible for the MRAMP research advocated repeatedly to retain a key data point, showing the unsafe levels of industrial emissions threatening Murujuga’s rock art, but both DWER and industry-funded Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) insisted on removing it.
It comes amid further revelations that confirm previous reports that MRAMP scientists are gagged from speaking publicly about the report, as MRAMP’s chief statistician, who previously blew the whistle on what he described as “unacceptable government interference” in the report’s release, is revealed to have resigned from the MRAMP program entirely.
Ahead of their legal challenge to the WA government’s approval of the North West Shelf extension, listing for hearing in WA’s Supreme Court at 9.45am this Friday 22 August, Friends of Australian Rock Art co-convenor Judith Hugo said today:
“This latest revelation further confirms that the Murujuga rock art monitoring results have been doctored by the WA government to paint a rosy picture about the impacts of industrial pollution at the site.
“The government report was very clear that Murujuga’s rock art has been damaged by industrial pollution.
“This is not just on Woodside. It implicates the WA government and the industry-funded Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation.
“The rock art monitoring was very clear that there has been damage done to the rock art. Someone needs to be held accountable for this.
“Why do we have these organisations who have failed to do the job involved in the monitoring of Murujuga’s ancient rock art? Of course they are going to doctor the results to cover up their failures – they have a clear conflict of interest.
“This whole situation should be investigated by an independent inquiry. This is a site of global significance, and we need a Royal Commission to investigate what has happened here for years and is still happening today.
“You can’t have the same corporations that are causing ongoing harm to this world heritage site also funding the management, monitoring and reporting of impacts on the Burrup. There needs to be truly independent management of this globally significant site.
“The WA government has failed to protect the rock art landscape, and now they are covering up the damage they have allowed to occur. The whole thing has to be taken out of their hands if anyone is to have confidence in the process.”
ENDS
Background on the North West Shelf Extension and the Supreme Court challenge
Woodside’s proposed North West Shelf Extension seeks to extend the life of Australia’s largest LNG export facility on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) until 2070. This proposal has been highly controversial due to its global climate change implications, and its impact on the Murujuga rock art and heritage landscape.
Impacts on the climate and the Murujuga rock art and cultural landscape
With annual carbon pollution equivalent to 12 coal-fired power stations, the North West Shelf Extension proposal has been described by scientists as a subversion of the Paris Agreement, and a stampede towards increasing fossil fuel production. Woodside’s Burrup Hub expansions (of which the North West Shelf Extension is centerpiece) have been named the largest ‘carbon bomb’ in the Southern hemisphere, which would impose an obligation on future generations to remove 6 billion tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
The Murujuga rock art has been described as the largest and most important rock art site in the world, dating back at least 40,000 years and containing the earliest known depiction of the human face. The rock art and cultural landscape has been proposed for World Heritage Listing by the Australian Government. On May 26, the expert body of the IUCN (ICOMOS) confirmed the Outstanding Universal Values of the site, but recommended the listing be referred back to the Australian Government to address the threats of industry. The North West Shelf Extension was named as the most significant threat to the Murujuga rock art.
Impacts on the Murujuga rock art include climate change impacts, including sea level rise, increased wildfires, extreme heat and flooding and coastal erosion on the heritage landscape. The ongoing use and enjoyment of the Murujuga cultural landscape by custodians practising cultural traditions, and by researchers and visitors will also be severely impacted by a heating climate.
Assessment of impacts
A critical function of Environmental Impact Assessment under the WA Environmental Protection Act 1986 is that the Decision Maker and the general public (via publication of the proposal and EPA Assessment Report), are informed about the impacts of the proposal on the WA Environment and heritage values.
The vast majority of emissions from the North West Shelf Extension are ‘scope 3’ or indirect emissions resulting from the combustion of the gas that will be exported. While these emissions have a direct impact on the environment by contributing to climate change, the state assessment did not consider these impacts.
Implications for Commonwealth approval
The North West Shelf Extension proposal also requires Commonwealth assessment, and approval under the EPBC Act by the federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Murray Watt. The assessment process for this project under the EPBC Act is an ‘accredited assessment’ where the federal Minister relies upon the state assessment to meet the requirements of the federal legislation. If the state assessment is ruled invalid by the WA Supreme Court, this ruling could have implications for the federal approval.
Background on Friends of Australian Rock Art
Friends of Australian Rock Art, Inc. (FARA) works to protect, preserve and promote Australian rock art, particularly the petroglyphs found in the Dampier Archipelago (including Murujuga/Burrup Peninsula) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Fara engages with State and Federal government and industry to ensure no further industrial development takes place on the Burrup Peninsula, but rather in more suitable locations. FARA liaises with existing companies to look at ways to minimise the impact of their activities (such as direct and indirect emissions, controlled actions, and land clearance). FARA works in conjunction with local traditional custodians to ensure that local knowledge is promoted in a culturally appropriate manner. From 2007 — 2022 FARA ran annual educational tours to the Burrup, allowing people from all over Australia and beyond to visit and marvel at the beauty and complexity of this cultural landscape.
Contact details:
Media Contact: [email protected] or Sean Kennedy: 0447 121 378