Comments last week 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% for domestic use.

Environs Kimberley’s Martin Pritchard at WA Parliament protest

Today, community members occupied the Premier’s electorate office as well as three other Ministers offices (Simone McGurk, John Carey, and Don Punch) and offices of local MP’s in Maylands (Dan Bull) and Bibra Lake (Sook Yee Lai). See Lock the Gate media release here.

Frack Free Kimberley community members occupying Maylands MP Dan Bull's office

In Broome, community members protested the Premier’s threats to frack the Kimberley and drill Scott Reef at local MLA Divina D’Anna’s office.

Environs Kimberley Executive Director Martin Pritchard said: 

"The Premier has really upset people by saying that an iconic place like the Kimberley has to be sacrificed to fracking if Woodside doesn’t drill for oil and gas at Scott Reef.

His own party, WA Labor, voted to extend the current fracking ban in the Southwest, Perth Metro, Peel and Dampier Peninsula, across the state late last year.

The response has been strong with a snap rally at the WA Parliament, sit-ins in the Premier’s electorate office as well as 5 other MP offices including the Minister for Water in Bunbury and an action outside Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna’s office in Broome.

Protest in Broome at Kimberley MP Divina D'Anna's office

This is just the beginning, we know the community will not allow the mass industrialisation of the Kimberley by the onshore oil and gas industry.

The Premier said that WA will run out of gas early in the next decade, but we know that if oil and gas companies did the right thing and supplied the 15% domestic gas requirement, instead of leaving the state short, and more renewable energy was built, there would be no need to frack the Kimberley or drill around Scott Reef.

The government has to understand that the social licence around oil and gas extraction is evaporating, last year’s election result in Fremantle showed that. There is no social licence to drill around Scott Reef and they certainly don’t have it for fracking the iconic Kimberley.

People hate the idea of fracking and the Valhalla proposal in the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment is riddled with flaws. Groundwater, including drinking water, would be at risk from carcinogenic chemicals. Radioactive wastewater has come to the surface with previous test wells and we know wastewater dams have overflowed in the wet season.

We cannot risk the Martuwarra Fitzroy River to fracking, it’s a known polluting industry and its not compatible with the superb nature experiences of the Kimberley and its $500 million tourism industry.

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.

Woodside’s Browse project 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 on WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn to reject the Valhalla fracking proposal and the Premier to ban fracking in the Kimberley.”

Calling All Artists

Entries are now open for this year's art auction.

You can submit art online by completing our online form: Submit your art here!

If you would prefer to submit a PDF entry form, you can find it here.

Proceeds from works sold go to artists and art centres, and support our conservation work.

Deadline for submissions: 25 June 2026. Please share with other artists you think might like to be involved.

Save the Date — Broome's Premier Art Event: Saturday 25 July 2026

This spectacularly enjoyable fundraiser supports artists in remote communities and protects the Kimberley's environment.

Join us for live music, delicious food and drinks, stunning artwork on display, an exciting art raffle and of course the exhilaration of the live auction.

Won't be in Broome? No worries — you can bid on that piece of art that stole your heart from anywhere in the world via Zoom. We'll share the link closer to the date.

Event Details — Saturday 25 July 2026

• 5:00pm — Preview: art, music and food
• 6:45pm — Live art auction begins (AWST)

Proceeds go to the artists and art centres for works sold, and support the conservation work of Environs Kimberley.

Entry tickets to the live event coming soon — return here to purchase.

For more info, contact us at [email protected] or call (08) 9192 1922.

Recently, our Seagrass Project Officer Alex Gibson had the opportunity to fly to Perth to attend a marine polychaete (worm) taxonomy course at Murdoch University, led by senior curators and scientists from the Australian Museum and Museums Victoria.

Participants learned how to recognise Australian marine worm families during a series of lectures and practical laboratory sessions, covering worm ecology, physical form and reproduction.

A lab full of worm expertise: Anna Murray and Chris Glasby (the Australian Museum), Andrew Hosie (Western Australian Museum), James Tweedey (Murdoch University), Elena Kupriyanova and Pat Hutchings (The Australian Museum), Ana Hara (Western Australian Museum), Robin Wilson (Museums Victoria). Photo: Alex Gibson.

Freshly collected and preserved specimens were provided, and ‘BYO’ worms were also welcomed! Alex brought along Broome’s common mudflat dweller, the green paddle worm. This worm is sometimes mistaken for Phyllodoce novaehollandia, however inspection of the worm’s throat organ revealed it was in fact P. malmgreni.

A green paddle worm in Roebuck Bay. Photo: Victoria de Bryun.

The training was an opportunity to expand networks, meet scientists and fellow worm enthusiasts, and gain skills in worm identification to enhance understanding of benthic ecosystems.

Making up around 70% of all the species of invertebrates living in the mud of Roebuck Bay, worms play a big part in the diet of our migratory shorebirds, as well as other predators such as crabs, molluscs and fish. Their high numbers and biomass support these higher levels of the food web, which allows energy to be transferred through the food chain and helps support the overall health and biodiversity of our marine ecosystems.

Terebellidae – found on coral reefs and within seagrass beds, often living within a hard tube. Here you can distinguish their curly red gills from their long feeding tentacles. Photo: Betty Yu, Murdoch University.

Next time you are exploring mudflats or reefs, take a closer look at our worm friends down there. You’ll start to notice the intricate details in worm forms and functions. As many species are still undescribed, there is much we are yet to learn about the diversity of worms under our footsteps!

Look at the long chetae (hairs) of this fire worm (family Amphinomidae). The name comes from the pain inflicted if you get one of these hairs on your skin! Photo: Alex Gibson.

While in Perth, Alex also attended a seagrass marine heatwave response working group meeting at Edith Cowan University. This was an opportunity for scientists, government, Traditional Owners and community groups from across WA to discuss how to coordinate responses in the event of marine heatwaves impacting seagrass.

Volunteers capture data on sea worms during seagrass surveys. Photo: Alex Gibson.

The meeting highlighted knowledge gaps around how Kimberley seagrasses might respond to marine heatwaves; for example, what is the highest temperature Kimberley species can withstand?

We look forward to learning more about ways of protecting our region’s seagrass meadows in this rapidly changing climate.

- Adapted from an article by Alex Gibson that first appeared in the December 2025 edition of EK News. 

Society for Kimberley Indigenous Plants and Animals (SKIPA) was busy in 2025 celebrating the beauty, diversity, and ecological importance of Kimberley native plants with a variety of events. Earlier in the year SKIPA held their annual plant sale at the Broome Botanical Park. Grown by members at their own homes (in the absence of a central nursery) the plants sold out within one hour, showing the popularity of native plants and the growing appreciation of how native plant gardens contribute to biodiversity and conservation, reduce water usage, and create habitats for local wildlife.

Native garden enthusiasts among the swales listen to tips on harvesting water. Photo: Kylie Weatherall.

SKIPA also held their inaugural Kimberley Native Garden Open Day, exploring three very different gardens around Broome. With informative talks from each garden host, participant learnt about the successes and challenges of creating a native garden from scratch, how to introduce native plants to an established garden and how to harvest water on residential properties. While the gardens all had very different looks, a few ‘principles of success’ were common across all the gardens: mulch heavily, reticulate, keep on top of weeds, and provide plenty of sunshine.

The water-harvesting garden showed how to get the most out of the Kimberley's tropical downpours by retaining water on site without causing erosion or flooding. Tips included making vital initial observations to see where the water ran, where it pooled and where erosion could occur. This information can help the gardener plan how to redirect and capture the water through the construction of temporary watercourses, swales and mounds. Other tips included having porous driveways and paths (minimising hard surfaces), reducing evaporation through mulching, capturing rainwater in tanks and reusing grey water in gardens. With three delightfully different gardens to visit, the open day was an educational and inspiring morning for native-plant lovers, which SKIPA hopes to run again.

In between these events, busy bees were held at the Broome Botanical Park and at the new SKIPA/EK nursery. Generous grants from the Shire of Broome, the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal, Horizon Power and the Water Corporation have all helped fund the construction of the nursery.

SKIPA greatly appreciates the support of all the funding bodies, as well as the tireless efforts of volunteers. We welcome everyone to get involved and learn about Kimberley plants and animals. If you'd like to find out more, visit our volunteer page here.

- Kylie Weatherall

Concerns are mounting in Broome about the threat to Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast from Woodside’s Browse Basin proposal for 50 oil and gas wells around the iconic marine biodiversity hotspot.

This morning a gathering of locals requested Kimberley Member of Parliament Divina D’Anna convey their concerns about the proposal to the WA Minister for the Environment Matthew Swinbourn and Premier Roger Cook.

“The community clearly doesn’t want Woodside’s damaging, risky, polluting project that would send most of the gas overseas. There’s only a downside to this proposal for West Australians and our globally significant coastlines,” said Martin Pritchard, Executive Director of Broome-based conservation group Environs Kimberley.

Broome residents gathered to voice concerns about Woodside’s Scott Reef plan. Photo: Wendy Mitchell.

The proposal is under assessment by the WA EPA, and the Cook Labor Government is expected to make a decision in early 2026.

“Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast is a marine biodiversity jewel of the Indian Ocean and is one of Australia’s most important offshore oceanic reefs,” said Mr Pritchard. The reef is a haven for 900 species of fish, 300 coral species, 1,500 species of invertebrates and 29 species of marine mammals including the endangered pygmy blue whale. Sandy Islet, a sandy cay at Scott Reef, is the nesting ground of 1,000 genetically distinct green turtles, any damage to the islet could be catastrophic for the species. If oil and gas is extracted from underneath the reef, Sandy Islet is expected to sink and would no longer be suitable for green turtle nesting.

Locals hold handmade signs asking for protection of Scott Reef. Photo: Wendy Mitchell.

“A major oil spill would be catastrophic for marine life at Scott Reef and we have a nearby example of the Montara oil disaster from 2009 which devastated the West Timor economy and seaweed farmers’ livelihoods. An oil spill of this magnitude is too much of a risk for Scott Reef and the Kimberley coast,” Mr Pritchard said.

The emissions from the Browse oil and gas project would be on a global scale at 1.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ according to Woodside’s reports. This would further fuel climate change which is devastating reefs globally, with the latest coral bleaching covering over 1,500km of the West Australian coast and reefs from Ashmore Reef to Ningaloo.

Broome based conservation group Environs Kimberley says the Federal government’s approval of the Woodside North West Shelf extension to 2070 signals the death knell for Scott Reef, Australia’s most important oceanic reef 270km off the Kimberley coast.

“We need net zero by 2050 not new gas refineries to 2070 if we want to keep coral reefs like Scott Reef alive,” said Environs Kimberley Director Martin Pritchard.

“The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Environment Minister Murray Watt have taken the gas industry line which is contrary to expert organisations like the International Energy Agency, United Nations and climate scientists who say we can’t open up new gas basins if we want a safe climate,” Mr Pritchard said.

North West Shelf project. Photo: CCWA.

“People, especially young people, voted for a safe climate not the financial interests of oil and gas companies who now effectively have a licence to pollute until 2070,” said Mr Pritchard.

“The Albanese government will regret this decision as more climate catastrophes come our way and must take responsibility for that due to decisions like this.

“We now have no choice but to run the biggest campaign since James Price Point to protect Scott Reef and to make sure fracking doesn’t happen in the Kimberley,” said Mr Pritchard. 

Send your submission to save Scott Reef here. 

Scott Reef. Photo: Alex Westover.

Hundreds of community members gathered for the premiere screening of Corals’ Last Stand here in Broome this week. Corals’ Last Stand by documentary filmaker Jane Hammond, tells the story of the Kimberley marine treasure, Scott Reef and the challenges it faces as Woodside, BP, MiMi and Petrochina threaten the reef system with a proposal to extract oil and gas from beneath it. The story is narrated by West Australian author Tim Winton, accompanied by musician John Butler and a host of leading conservationists from Western Australia including EK's Martin Pritchard who secured the boat and went out to Scott Reef with them.  

The night also featured a screening of A Crude Injustice, another film by Jane Hammond, which tells the harrowing story of the Montara oil spill that occurred in 2009, off the Kimberley coast. The uncontrolled spill lasted for over 74 days in the Timor and reached as far as the coast of Indonesian Timor, devastating marine life and seaweed farms in its path, damage that has still not fully recovered. The Montara oil spill disaster is a timely reminder that when things go wrong in oil and gas extraction, they can go very wrong.  

Hundreds of Broome residents turn out for screening of Corals’ Last Stand. Photo: Wendy Mitchell.

The campaign to save Scott Reef is gaining momentum, with people from across Australia getting on board to protect the magnificent marine life there from the damaging effects of drilling for fossil gas. Scott Reef is a biodiversity hotspot in the Kimberley and should not be jeopardized for profit, nor should the Kimberley coast line be put at risk of a spill. Keep an eye out for further events in Broome as the fight to Stop Woodside and Save Scott Reef continues.  

To see if there is a screening happening near you check out: https://www.coralslaststand.com.au/screenings 

Or registered to host a screening for friends and family: https://www.coralslaststand.com.au/book-a-screening  

Premier Cook on election trail in the Kimberley – community calls for fracking ban commitment

West Australian Premier Roger Cook is on the election trail in Broome and has been greeted with a strong community call to extend the ban on fracking in the southwest of the state and the Dampier Peninsula to cover all the Kimberley.

While the WA Government under Premier Mark McGowan’s leadership promised veto rights for Traditional Owners and farmers over fracking in 2018, the promise has not been fulfilled and the whole process is creating significant division in communities across the region.

“There’s a simple answer to the whole question of the destructive industrialisation of the Kimberley through oil and gas fracking and that’s a ban on the industry like there is in the Southwest of the state,” said Environs Kimberley Executive Director Martin Pritchard.

The community protest at local Kimberley MP Divina D’Anna’s office called for the ban in light of the proposal by Texan fossil fuel company Black Mountain, to drill and frack 20 oil and gas wells in the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment.

The WA EPA is currently assessing the proposal and a decision will be required of the WA Government after the election.

The Kimberley community has vehemently opposed fracking for the past 12 years and concerns have been heightened recently with Black Mountain proposing a pipeline to an LNG refinery in the Pilbara.

“A recent report by climate scientists has shown the potential for 8,700 oil and gas wells across the region that would seriously undermine Australia's ability to meet its climate goals, surely the Premier Roger Cook doesn’t want to open the Kimberley to that,” Mr Pritchard said.

“What we have now is a completely different proposition to what the WA government based its lifting of the ban on fracking in the Kimberley in 2018. What we’re facing now is turning the Kimberley into Texas,” Mr Pritchard said.  

“The community wants a commitment from the Premier and the Labor party that the already existing ban on fracking in the Southwest of the state and the Dampier Peninsula be extended to cover the whole Kimberley,” Mr Pritchard said.

Surveying of over 1,000 people in the seat of Fremantle revealed 92% of voters want a ban on fracking and 72% are willing to change their vote for it.

“If its too risky for the Southwest then we shouldn’t be discriminated against in the Kimberley just because it’s been a safe Labor seat,” Mr Pritchard said.

You can send a message asking Premier Cook to ban fracking in the Kimberley here. 

Photo: Damian Kelly.

More than 120 Broome locals gathered yesterday at Entrance Point Reef to call for its protection.

As the community came together, barefoot kids delighted in discovering hermit crabs under the glowing sandstone cliffs near the opalescent water covering carpets of corals.

The Broome community standing together to protect their cherished place. Photo: Damian Kelly.

With a giant red crane looming ominously over the scene, Yawuru local Tony Lee spoke powerfully about the heritage importance of Entrance Point while Ngaire Pigram, creator of the two petitions to the WA Parliament requesting the protection of Entrance Point, called for a minute of silence to honour the place’s spirit.

“What they’re bringing here is destructive industry… you’re not going to be able to hear the reef talk any more,” they said fighting back tears.

“Don’t ever think you can’t stand up for Country. You all belong here because you’ve all felt this place and you know how special it is… let’s not give up.”

Ngaire Pigram and Kath White. Photo: Damian Kelly.

Hand-painted signs by local families asked Minister for Ports David Michael why he hasn’t answered more than 1000 letters requesting protection of the reef. Other signs questioned why there has been no study done on the more than 40 species of corals living at the site.

Amelia, Martin and Bonney. Photo: Damian Kelly.

The community also called on Hon. Peter Foster, Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs whose electorate is the Mining and Pastoral Region, to respond to the signatories of the two petitions requesting the protection of Entrance Point Reef.

You can see more photos and read further coverage of the community action on ABC Kimberley’s facebook post.

Our community can still protect Entrance Point Reef - if you haven’t already, please send a letter to Minister Michael to protect the reef from industrialisation here.

The Broome peninsula has a magnificent coastline.

Stretching back through geological time, the Broome sandstone harbours 130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints with profound meaning to traditional custodians. Then there are the 2,000-year-old human ones. Cultural treasures that feature in ancient stories are embedded in the rock and coastline. Registered Aboriginal heritage sites abound along the coast, middens attesting to the food riches sustained over millennia.

The reefs, with more than 40 species of coral, are gems of colour, shape and size, home to Clownfish, octopuses and anemones. Stand at Entrance Point at the right time and you can see Humpback Whales steaming past, Snubfin Dolphins hunting the Roebuck Deeps and, around the corner at Simpson's Beach, endangered sawfish skim for food and schools of salmon swim for their lives along the shore.

Recent photographs of previously undocumented animals (undoubtedly known to First Nations people), such as an unusual crab and poisonous anemone, show how little we know and how rich this tropical coastline is. During a recent visit to Reddell Beach (remember the marina planned for it?) with a marine biologist, we saw a Leopard Ray shoot off from our feet, a turtle pop its head up and birds dive-bomb fish balls – “It's so good to see this ecosystem is healthy; down south they're trashed,” was the comment.

With such a rich natural and cultural history, wouldn't we be protecting it? 'No' appears to be the answer from the state government, with its support for the plan to build an industrial floating jetty that would cut through the popular, rich reef of Entrance Point.

Just around the corner, plans for a unique Broome beach, bookended by sandstone headlands, are to cover it in 10 metres of concrete. In front, where we can now see Gourdon Bay across the turquoise waters of Roebuck Bay, would rise a 12-metre rock wall to serve as a breakwater. The estimated costs to taxpayers three years ago - $77 million. Inflation and a tradie shortage make it more than $100 million now. The purpose - to allow tinnies a few extra hours in the day to launch and for inexperienced boaties to bring in vessels when they haven't checked the weather and tides and find they're in trouble.

As locals born and bred here keep saying, if you can't launch and retrieve a boat safely now, you shouldn't be in the ocean without an experienced hand with an understanding of tides and wind around Broome. Instead of destroying one of Broome's most beautiful recreational beaches full of marine life and geological treasures, a memorial site for loved past residents of Broome, for $100 million, let's spend it on looking after Country and people.

You can help protect Entrance Point Reef by sending a message to Premier Roger Cook and Minister for Ports David Michael here.

Photos of Entrance Point Reef life: Sharmaine Donnelly. Photo of Broome locals protest: Damian Kelly.