Burrup Hub Expansion Threatens Murujuga Rock Art and Scott Reef
The Western Australian government’s decision to approve the extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas plant until 2070 has sparked outrage from environmentalists, scientists, filmmakers, and traditional custodians.
This expansion, the largest fossil fuel project in the Southern Hemisphere, is set to emit over six billion tonnes of greenhouse gases while threatening the globally significant Murujuga rock art and the pristine marine ecosystem of Scott Reef.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has 30 business days to make a decision on the project extension.
Scott Reef: A Marine Treasure Under Threat
Located 300 kilometers off the Western Australian coast, Scott Reef is one of the nation’s most biodiverse coral reefs, home to over 1,500 species, including reef-building corals, endangered turtles, sea snakes, and migratory whales such as the pygmy blue whale.
Woodside plans to drill up to 50 gas wells near the reef, some as close as two kilometers, posing significant risks of habitat destruction, catastrophic oil spills, and disruption to marine ecosystems.
A team of scientists, filmmakers, and conservationists, including renowned author Tim Winton and musician John Butler, recently visited Scott Reef to document its beauty and the threats it faces. Their upcoming documentary highlights the reef’s breathtaking biodiversity and the devastating impact of Woodside’s Browse gas project.
John Butler
John Butler described the reef as “a wild and sacred place, a jewel of the Kimberley coast that must be protected at all costs.”
“Woodside’s Browse gas proposal is not about jobs or our economy, it’s not about our climate or our community – it’s about Woodside’s profit. Scott Reef is one of the most beautiful, pristine parts of the planet. I journeyed to this incredible coral reef with some of Australia’s most successful campaigners to stop Scott Reef from being completely exploited by Woodside’s proposal for more than fifty gas wells.”
Tim Winton
Tim Winton echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the urgency of the fight to preserve such unique ecosystems. “If we lose Scott Reef, we lose a piece of what makes Australia special,” he said.
“Wild places feed our spirit. And our bodies. And our planet. They are not a luxury – they’re a necessity. The world’s coral reefs are in desperate trouble, and Scott Reef is like a sentinel. If we lose Scott Reef, it’ll signal the end for all coral reefs. And when they cook and die, we’ll be left with a poorer, harsher world.
“The idea that your kids, and their kids and their kids’ kids, might never have the chance to see a place like Scott Reef – it disturbs me, it makes me angry. The injustice of it bewilders me.
“Thousands upon thousands of people got together to save Ningaloo Reef, thousands of people got together to save James Price Point –– and they’re going to do the same to save Scott Reef. Because this isn’t just about rescuing one remarkable place – it’s about saving our climate, our planet, our home.”
Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, director of Oceanwise Australian and the leader of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said:
“Scott Reef is one of Australia’s most distinctive coral reef ecosystems. It’s the largest offshore oceanic reef in Australia and it’s extremely significant from a biodiversity perspective. Visiting Scott Reef, and seeing the endemic sea snakes, the large marine fauna and the marine mammals like turtles and manta rays first-hand, I can see clearly how the imposition of Woodside’s oil and gas plans on this environment would threaten some of the world’s most amazing marine environmental values.”
Murujuga Rock Art
Murujuga, on the Burrup Peninsula, is home to an estimated one million petroglyphs, some of which are over 50,000 years old. For more photos of these incredible ancient petroglyphs, see our story here.
This extraordinary site, nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status, holds immense cultural and spiritual significance for the Mardudhunera, Ngarluma, Yaburara, Yindjibarndi, and Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo peoples.
Emissions from Woodside’s Burrup Hub risk eroding these ancient carvings, permanently erasing a vital connection to Australia’s earliest human history.
Mardudhunera woman and former Chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Raelene Cooper, has been vocal in her opposition to the project.
“Once the toxic gas has eroded our sacred sites, the knowledge and identity of who we are as traditional custodians will be lost and gone forever,” she said. “This isn’t just about the survival of my culture; it’s about the survival of all people.”
A Test for Australia’s Climate Commitments
The WA government’s decision to approve the Burrup Hub extension comes despite widespread community opposition and a record number of appeals. The project undermines Australia’s climate commitments and raises questions about the federal government’s willingness to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.
Anna Chapman, Fossil Fuels Program Manager at the Conservation Council of WA, condemned the approval as a “monumentally destructive decision” that prioritizes short-term profits over long-term environmental and cultural sustainability.
“This decision locks in huge volumes of fossil fuel production until 2070, pushing us beyond climate tipping points and destroying the ancient Murujuga rock art,” she said.
The focus now shifts to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who has the power to block the project under the Albanese government’s climate policies.
Conservationists and traditional custodians are urging her to protect Murujuga and Scott Reef, emphasizing that the decision will define Australia’s commitment to climate action and cultural preservation.
The Fight to Protect Murujuga and Scott Reef
For traditional custodians like Raelene Cooper, the stakes are deeply personal. “Murujuga is a healing place,” she said. “We belong to this place, and Woodside is destroying it in front of our eyes. I am fighting for my old people and my family. This must stop.”
The campaign to halt Woodside’s Burrup Hub extension is a fight to protect Australia’s heritage—both cultural and natural. It is a call to preserve the irreplaceable treasures of Murujuga and Scott Reef for future generations and a test of whether governments will prioritize the planet over the fossil fuel industry.
The coming weeks will reveal whether Australia is ready to honor its responsibilities to its people, its environment, and its global climate commitments.
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