Legal challenge starts over Woodside's North West Shelf gas hub extension

Federal Court hearings began on Tuesday as the Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock Art challenged Environment Minister Murray Watt’s decision to grant a 40‑year extension to Woodside’s North West Shelf gas hub in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The groups argue the project, which would operate until 2070, would generate around four billion tonnes of greenhouse‑gas emissions – roughly the total output of Australia in a decade – and threaten 40,000‑year‑old Indigenous rock art at Murujuga.

The minister and Woodside defend the approval, saying it followed a comprehensive assessment by Commonwealth and state regulators. Protesters gathered outside the Melbourne court, some dressed as coral reefs, to highlight the risk to marine ecosystems and cultural heritage. The outcome could set a precedent for future fossil‑fuel approvals in Australia.