In another hammer blow to Australia’s environment and Aboriginal heritage, the Federal Government and the WA Government joined forces today to break ground at the gas guzzling, rock art destroying Perdaman Urea plant at Murujuga in WA.
Just weeks after the IPCC released its devastating report on the accelerating climate emergency and the UN Secretary General called for no new coal and gas, the Albanese Government backs the mega emitting Perdaman urea plant reliant on Woodside’s proposed Scarborough gas field.
It is hypocrisy that is off the scale, BBF spokesperson Christine Milne said.
“Australians do not want to fund increases in greenhouse gas emissions or destruction of Aboriginal heritage and we call on Minister Plibersek to stand up for the Environment and our cultural heritage and withdraw her support. We call on Treasurer Jim Chalmers to remove the $255m subsidy to this project through the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.”
In 2009, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was in the Hunter Valley turning the first sod of a coal mine on the same day he introduced the CPRS into the parliament. In a repeat performance a month after securing its signature climate policy the Albanese Government is supporting the turning of the first sod on Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula) for a massive greenhouse gas emitting urea plant.
“Talking out both sides of its mouth has become the modus operandi of the Albanese Government. One minute they are backslapping about the Safeguard Mechanism and empathising with the Pacific Islands about sea level rise and the next they are cheering a massive increase in emissions from natural gas extraction and consumption with Perdaman contracted to take gas from Woodside’s proposed Scarborough field.”
“Over its lifetime this facility will emit 200 million tonnes roughly the same as what they expect to save with Safeguard Mechanism. Perdaman says it will ‘offset’ its emissions but with what and from where? You cannot offset black emissions with green carbon.
The Albanese Government talks up listening to Aboriginal people with The Voice and then approves removal of petroglyphs from the site and the spewing of acidic emissions all over the oldest and largest rock art gallery in the world which they have also proposed for World Heritage listing,” Christine Milne said.
Even the hopelessly compromised WA EPA said, “The EPA considers that there may be a threat of serious or irreversible damage to rock art from industrial air emissions( in particular urea particulates and NH3) from the proposal accelerating the natural weathering. The EPA considers there is a lack of full scientific consensus about potential residual cumulative impacts on the significant environmental values (including social surroundings values) associated with rock art within Murujuga.”
The Bob Brown Foundation stands with Save our Songlines in their statement rejecting this proposal in which they state that the Perdaman project does not have the free, prior, and informed consent of Traditional Owners and Custodians and is thus in breach of human rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights and Interests of Indigenous Peoples.
We will continue to support World Heritage listing of the Aboriginal petroglyphs but will inform UNESCO that the Australian Government has no intention of protecting the integrity of the site or the petroglyphs.
