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Tim Winton, John Butler, leading reef scientists and conservationists visit one of Australia's most spectacular coral reefs to highlight Woodside's risky gas drilling plans

Climate Media Centre

  • Scott Reef is Australia’s largest offshore coral reef, supporting over one thousand five hundred species, including endangered turtles, sea snakes & pygmy blue whales.

  • Woodside plans to drill up to fifty gas wells around Scott Reef, some as close as two kilometres from this vital reef ecosystem.

Stunning unreleased video, photos and audio content captured of Scott Reef is available here*

Content includes extraordinary underwater and drone vision, b-roll and interviews with Tim Winton, John Butler, Brinkley Davies, Dr Ben Fitzpatrick and leading campaigners, as well as high-res still images and audio clips. *Content from this drive is only to be used in news stories related to Scott Reef. 

 

A dozen marine scientists, film-makers and conservationists have made the three hundred kilometre voyage from the West Australian coast out to Scott Reef, one of Australia’s most significant and biodiverse coral reefs, to document the threats posed by Woodside’s Browse gas proposal.

 

The group of concerned Australians have come together to stop Woodside’s giant Browse gas proposal from seriously damaging the unique habitat of Scott Reef, the jewel in the crown of WA’s Kimberley coast and one of the last wild places left in this country.

Scott Reef is an incredibly biodiverse ocean ecosystem that supports over one thousand five hundred species, including reef-building corals, endangered turtles and sea snakes, a myriad of fish species and migratory whales, such as the endangered pygmy blue whale.

Woodside plans to drill up to fifty gas wells around Scott Reef, some as close as two kilometres from the reef, as part of its plans to greatly expand its massive gasworks on the Burrup Peninsula. Burrup Hub is the biggest new fossil fuel project in the southern hemisphere, set to emit more than 6 billion tonnes of climate pollution by 2070 if approved. It’s currently being assessed by the WA and federal governments and decisions are expected imminently.

 

The team of filmmakers, scientists and campaigners spent several days diving and filming at Scott Reef for an upcoming documentary about its breathtaking biodiversity, including endangered whales, turtles and sea snakes that are threatened by Woodside’s Browse gas proposal.

 

A two-minute Scott Reef sizzle reel is also viewable here. Footage was captured by renowned underwater videographers Nush Freedman and Andre Rerekura, the stars of Disney’s Shipwreck Hunters who were involved in the dramatic rescue of a snake from a plane on the journey back from Scott Reef.

 

For interviews with the reef experts and conservationists below, please contact: 

Jesse Noakes of the Conservation Council of WA on 0401 233 965 jesse.noakes@ccwa.org.au, or

Sean Kennedy of the Climate Media Centre on 0447 121 378  sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au 

(Please note, Tim Winton is not available for further interviews - interviews grabs with Tim can be found on the share drive link.) 

 

Celebrated Australian author Tim Winton said: 

“Wild places feed our spirit. And our bodies. And our planet. They are not a luxury – they’re a necessity. The world’s coral reefs are in desperate trouble, and Scott Reef is like a sentinel. If we lose Scott Reef, it’ll signal the end for all coral reefs. And when they cook and die, we’ll be left with a poorer, harsher world.

“The idea that your kids, and their kids and their kids’ kids, might never have the chance to see a place like Scott Reef - it disturbs me, it makes me angry. The injustice of it bewilders me.  

“Thousands upon thousands of people got together to save Ningaloo Reef, thousands of people got together to save James Price Point –-- and they're going to do the same to save Scott Reef. Because this isn’t just about rescuing one remarkable place – it’s about saving our climate, our planet, our home.”

Iconic Australian musician John Butler said:

“Woodside’s Browse gas proposal is not about jobs or our economy, it’s not about our climate or our community – it's about Woodside’s profit. Scott Reef is one of the most beautiful, pristine parts of the planet. I journeyed to this incredible coral reef with some of Australia’s most successful campaigners to stop Scott Reef from being completely exploited by Woodside's proposal for more than fifty gas wells.”

 

Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, director of Oceanwise Australian and the leader of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said:

 

“Scott Reef is one of Australia's most distinctive coral reef ecosystems. It's the largest offshore oceanic reef in Australia and it's extremely significant from a biodiversity perspective. Visiting Scott Reef, and seeing the endemic sea snakes, the large marine fauna and the marine mammals like turtles and manta rays first-hand, I can see clearly how the imposition of Woodside’s oil and gas plans on this environment would threaten some of the world's most amazing marine environmental values.”

Brinkley Davies, a marine biologist, professional surfer and free diver, said:

“It's really hard to get out to Scott Reef and a lot of people don't get to come out here. There's a lot of unique things about Scott Reef that I have not experienced anywhere else in Australia – genetically distinct green sea turtles that only lay their eggs here, the dusky sea snake which isn’t found anywhere else. It's honestly completely baffling to me that someone could even consider threatening Scott Reef in any way. For example, an oil spill out here would be catastrophic, and it's easy to see how that would happen if Woodside’s Browse gas proposal is allowed.”

Jess Beckerling, the Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA, said:

“It would just be incomprehensible for Woodside to be allowed to drill for gas underneath this extraordinary coral reef ecosystem, and all the incredible marine life that depend on it. It's incumbent on the state and federal governments to protect this incredible coral reef ecosystem and reject Woodside's Browse gas proposal. WA has such a powerful and proud legacy of standing up for places like Scott Reef – this is the next fight, and West Australians are ready for it.”

Paul Gamblin, WA Director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said:

“For people who've had those bucket-list experiences at places like Ningaloo, it's that kind of experience that you have at Scott Reef. It's just the most extraordinary place – it's still a healthy, resilient, incredibly complex ecosystem, which is stunningly beautiful as well. If Scott Reef was on the east coast, Woodside’s proposal to drill for oil and gas within two kilometres of the reef would not even be considered. Having spent time at Scott Reef, it is clear that the time of drilling for oil and gas at coral reefs is over.”

Martin Pritchard, Strategy Director at Environs Kimberley, said:

“We were right on the spot where Woodside wants to drill multiple oil and gas wells just two kilometers from Scott Reef and it's clear that any oil spill there would be catastrophic. Drilling for gas under the coral reef will have massive impacts on marine life here and Woodside must be stopped. The community beat Woodside already at James Price Point, and we’re going to beat Woodside again and save Scott Reef.”

Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“Our expedition to Scott Reef is a reminder of what West Australians already know — we are blessed with one of the most pristine and vibrant marine environments in the world. But we’re watching these places we love change before our eyes as the climate crisis accelerates; the water at Scott Reef was alarmingly warm and it hadn't yet reached summer. It is unthinkable that Woodside’s dirty gas expansion plans involve drilling underneath Scott Reef, where we snorkelled over abundant coral, teeming with life. The science is crystal clear — to protect these precious places we must keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

Piper Rollins, Climate Campaigner at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said:

“Woodside's Burrup Hub will not only have catastrophic impacts here at Scott Reef, such as potential oil spills, subsidence for critical turtle nesting habitat and other horrific impacts on marine wildlife. Woodside’s Burrup Hub is also going to contribute to the erasure of the oldest and largest collection of First Nations rock art at Murujuga, where Woodside is currently seeking a 50 year extension for their North West Shelf gas plant, the most polluting in the Southern Hemisphere.”

-END-


Contact details:

Jesse Noakes of the Conservation Council of WA on 0401 233 965 jesse.noakes@ccwa.org.au, or

Sean Kennedy of the Climate Media Centre on 0447 121 378 sean.kennedy@climatemediacentre.org.au