WA Premier Roger Cook 'forced Kimberley fracking' rejected

Comments by WA Premier Roger Cook that WA could be 'forced to frack' the Kimberley if Woodside doesn't drill for oil and gas at Scott Reef (Browse Basin proposal), have been met with outrage across the state. Over a 100 people gathered at the WA Parliament at short notice to reject the Premier's statement and called on him to enforce the states' domestic gas policy of retaining 15% of gas for domestic use.

Environs Kimberley Executive Director Martin Pritchard said: 

"These comments from the Premier are outrageous. Saying that an iconic place like the Kimberley has to be sacrificed to fracking or Scott reef drilled by the oil and gas industry when all his government has to do is make the industry do the right thing and supply the 15% domestic gas requirement instead of letting industry off with less, is shocking.

The government has to understand that the social licence around gas extraction is evaporating, last year’s election result in Fremantle showed that. They don’t have social licence for Browse and they certainly don’t have it for fracking the iconic Kimberley.

EK's Martin Pritchard at the WA Parliament rally

People hate fracking and the Valhalla proposal in the Kimberley is riddled with flaws, as can be seen from released FOI documents. Black Mountain can’t manage wastewater. They haven’t consulted all Traditional Owners. And they can’t prevent damage to endangered creatures who call it home, it would industrialise the Kimberley.

Browse would wreck Australia’s most outstanding coral system at Scott Reef, the community feels strongly about this.

The Premier needs to make big gas accountable to everyday day people and make them meet the domestic supply requirements so there’s no need to trash the Kimberley and its coral reefs.”

Environs Kimberley is calling for support to ban fracking in the Kimberley. Tax-deductible donations can be made here.