Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper has launched legal action to try and protect the cultural heritage of the oldest art gallery in the world.
Ms Cooper is a traditional custodian of Murujuga on the Burrup peninsula of Western Australia, which contains thousands of petroglyphs - a type of rock art.
On Friday morning her lawyers from Johnson Legal filed a motion in the Federal Court to compel Environment Minister Murray Watt to make a determination of her Murujuga Section 10 cultural heritage assessment, which has been with the federal government for more than three years.
Senator Watt told the ABC on Monday that he would make a decision on extending the life of Woodside's North West Shelf gas project by the end of the month.
Ms Cooper's Section 10 application calls for protection of Murujuga’s sacred rock art from the impacts of industrial developments at Woodside’s Burrup Hub, which includes North West Shelf.
The environmental approval for Woodside's Karratha Gas Plant expires in 2030.
The company is seeking to extend the North West Shelf project to 2070.
The Karratha Gas Plant, which has been operating for 40 years, produces LNG, domestic gas, condensate and LPG and covers about 200 hectares, adjacent to Murujuga.
The plant includes four LNG processing trains; two domestic gas trains; four condensate stabilisation units, which remove more volatile components and three LPG fractionation units, which separate propane and butane from natural gas.
Lawyers for Ms Cooper wrote to former Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on April 16 to demand a resolution of her Section 10 application before a decision is made about the North West Shelf extension, and renewed her request to Senator Watt following his appointment as Environment Minister this month.
Ms Cooper, who has invited Senator Watt to visit Murujuga before he makes his decision on the North West Shelf, filed her Section 10 application under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act to the federal government in February 2022.
An independent reporter submitted their findings to the federal government in June 2023.
Under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act the Environment Minister is empowered to make any Declaration they deem appropriate to protect Murujuga’s cultural heritage.
“I originally brought this application in early 2022 when I learned how my cultural heritage would be affected if industry was allowed to continue expanding on Murujuga, including Woodside's North West Shelf extension," Ms Cooper said.
"Many hundreds of people and organisations made submissions in support of my application for urgent protection of this area.
“That was three years ago.
"For their entire first term, Labor have ignored my application while the devastation to my cultural heritage has continued on Murujuga."
Environment groups are also disappointed by Senator Watt, after he rejected objections to the project from Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of WA on Thursday.
“We are deeply disappointed the impacts to Scott Reef and the threatened species that call it home will not be considered by the Minister in regards to Woodside’s proposal to extend the lifespan of its North West Shelf project," Greenpeace spokesperson Geoff Bice said.
“The primary purpose of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension is to process gas from the Browse gas field underneath Scott Reef - the Minister should be looking at these gas mega projects as a whole, rather than broken into arbitrary pieces.
“The North West Shelf facility is one of Australia’s dirtiest and most polluting fossil fuel projects – the decision to refuse Greenpeace’s reconsideration request brings Woodside one step closer towards drilling for dirty gas at Scott Reef.
“If we are serious about tackling climate pollution and protecting nature, we should be closing down polluting fossil fuel facilities when they come to their end of life, not extending them to allow for new gas fields to open."
Ms Cooper said Murujuga was being devastated by the approval of heavy industry, including construction of the Perdaman fertiliser facility, which was approved by Minister Plibersek without the consent of traditional custodians.
“Now I understand the new Environment Minister Murray Watt is preparing to approve Woodside's proposed 50-year North West Shelf extension, which will be a death sentence for the oldest and largest rock art site on earth," she said.
“I am furious that the Minister would make a decision to lock in ongoing and irreversible damage to my Country before addressing my application."
Ms Cooper said she was 'sickened' that Senator Watt would make a decision on extending the gas project without meeting with custodians of Murujuga or seeing the rock art.
“The Minster does not even have the respect to come and see for himself what he will be allowing Woodside to destroy," she said.
“There must be an urgent assessment of the ongoing impacts of all industry on the Burrup before any further extensions or expansions are considered.
"There must be free, prior and informed consent from Traditional Custodians for anything that happens in this incredibly special place."
In December the WA Government provided environmental approval for the extension of the North West Shelf project.
Mr Watt did not answer questions from NITV asking whether he planned to visit Murujuga or speak with Traditional Owners before making a decision on the project.
