Woodside's North West Shelf extension to 2070, leaves local First Nations people hoping for improved conditions

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In Western Australia, Woodside's North West Shelf gas project has received final approval from the federal government, extending its potential operating life to 2070. While some local residents are now embracing the stability it will bring with employment and local business, others fear not everyone will benefit.

Transcript

00:00Alongside ancient rock art and native wildlife, the Karratha gas plant is set to flare for

00:10decades to come.

00:13Woodside first applied to extend the facility six years ago.

00:17The city's peak business body relieved.

00:19The final approval, a confidence boost for local business.

00:22When people have that continuity, they can then have confidence investing in their staff,

00:27equipment, training and all of those things that are going to make the Karratha business economy stronger.

00:32Woodside says the project supports thousands of jobs and has contributed over $300 million to Pilbara communities.

00:39But many argue those economic benefits don't flow through to everyone.

00:44For our members, for the Irrimungadu community, for the local Aboriginal community,

00:48I guess we hope to see some improvement in conditions.

00:52Right now, the local Aboriginal community has some of the most extreme economic disadvantage in the country.

00:58And that's on the doorstep of billion dollar industry.

01:01They talk about the economic benefits and gains.

01:04Well, some of our community don't see that in the full effect.

01:07That's something one of the traditional owners of Mora Juga impressed upon the minister

01:11when she penned this letter to him in August.

01:13It describes how people are living in poverty while trying to fight for the landscape.

01:18The approval granted with a raft of conditions, traditional owners now focusing on their detail.

01:23It's really important to remember that in the Pilbara, the traditional owner community

01:27are inundated with environmental, heritage, major Commonwealth approvals on a daily, weekly basis.

01:34So comprehending and going through what this means in complex legal language can be challenging.

01:40Understanding the role First Nations people will play in implementing these conditions, top of the list.

01:48So perhaps, if you can get a bit of a fairly clear perspective, you can take a bit of a little theatre across the screen.

01:52But let's see what happens.

01:54There are three Ill jalislands in the past.

01:56So the first thing you need to think about is the most important thing.

01:58The most important thing is that this has been a long-term belief in a future,

02:01a constant belief in a permanent belief in a place.

02:03It does not always need to be the most important, as you know.

02:05More than one result, it does not necessarily take a lot of blue.

02:07The most important thing is that this is the most important thing.

02:08The most important thing is to remind you that the nation and the most important thing,

02:13the most important things, because one of the place is the most important thing in a place of art.

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