Here's what you need to know about Woodside's Federal Court case
The Federal Court heard challenges to the extension of Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf gas project, with activists alleging ministerial bias and improper communications. The case involves the Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock Art questioning the decision‑making process of Environment Minister Murray Watt. The court also considered potential impacts on the Murujuga World Heritage rock art and the broader context of Woodside’s proposed Browse basin expansion.
- ▪Activists and their lawyers challenged the 40‑year extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf project in Federal Court, citing alleged bias and extensive text exchanges between the minister’s office and the company.
- ▪The Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock Art argued that Minister Murray Watt’s decision favored Woodside’s economic arguments over environmental and cultural concerns.
- ▪Justice Catherine Button described the relationship between the department and Woodside as potentially “chummy,” raising questions about the impartiality of the approval process.
- ▪The case also examined the potential impact of industrial emissions on the Murujuga petroglyphs, with the minister ultimately finding that emissions could damage the sacred Indigenous rock art.
- ▪Woodside’s proposed $30 billion expansion into the Browse basin, a separate project, was highlighted as a factor that should not have influenced the North West Shelf decision.
- ▪],
ABC News (Australia) publishes from Australia and files mainly under world. We currently carry 1,224 of its stories.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
What you should know about the legal case against extending Australia's biggest gas project By Alistair BatesABC PilbaraTopic:Oil and GasPosted Sat 25 Jul 2026 at 1:41pmSat 25 Jul 2026 at 1:41pmSat 25 Jul 2026 at 1:41pmActivists and their lawyers spent four days in Federal Court trying to overturn the extension of Woodside's North West Shelf project. (ABC News: Chris Lewis)abc.net.au/news/what-to-know-about-the-landmark-case-against-north-west-shelf/106953170Link copiedShareShare articleQuestions of ministerial bias, unseen text exchanges, and climate change arithmetic have gone under the microscope in a landmark legal fight over the life of Australia’s biggest gas project.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).