Media release: Supreme Court challenge to Woodside's North West Shelf Extension state approval adjourned to 21 October 2025
Friends of Australian Rock Art
Friday 22 August 2025 - For immediate release
***Video grabs, images and footage from FARA spokespeople speaking to media outside court this morning are available here***
A Supreme Court challenge to the Western Australian state government approval for Woodside’s contentious North West Shelf extension, launched by Friends of Australian Rock Art, Inc, (FARA) has been heard for the first time this morning in Perth, with orders made adjourning the matter until 21 October 2025 for a next hearing.
The judicial review proceedings were launched on 12 June 2025 against the WA Minister for the Environment, Hon Matthew Swinbourn MLC, and Woodside, challenging the environmental approval granted by previous Environment Minister Hon Reece Whitby MLA in December 2024.
FARA is arguing that the court must overturn the state decision because the decision maker did not properly follow the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act. It will be argued that the state assessment failed to consider the impact of climate change that would result from the project (including Scope 3 emissions) on the environment, which includes the Murujuga rock art landscape.
It comes after revelations last week that Western Australia’s coral reefs have suffered their worst bleaching on record this year, with some reefs, including the much-loved Rowley Shoals off the Kimberley coast, at 90% mortality following an extreme marine heatwave extending from late last year. The bleaching occurred on the same coastline as Woodside’s North West Shelf extension, which has been described as the biggest new fossil fuel project in the Southern Hemisphere.
These proceedings could have implications for the project’s outstanding Commonwealth approval, which relies on the state assessment in an accredited assessment process under the EPBC Act.
***Video grabs, images and footage from FARA spokespeople speaking to media outside court this morning are available here***
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Media Contact: [email protected]
Background on the North West Shelf Extension and the case
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