Overview

• Environment Minister Murray Watt granted conditional approval for Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project to operate until 2070 with measures intended to protect Murujuga rock art.
• The Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Report and academic studies conclude that decades of industrial emissions have already degraded petroglyphs dating back more than 40,000 years.
• The extension is forecast to generate roughly 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions over its remaining lifespan.
• UNESCO has delayed its World Heritage decision, citing severe pollution from nearby industrial operations as a major threat to the site.
• Indigenous leaders and environmental groups have vowed to challenge the approval in court, alleging cultural harm and insufficient conservation safeguards.