Kimberley Traditional Owners travelled to WA Premier Roger Cook's office in his electorate at Kwinana to call for a legislated ban on fracking for the iconic Kimberley region.

The call comes after WA Labor members voted for a statewide ban on the dangerous and polluting gas extraction technique at the party’s State Conference on Saturday. 

The decision to heed the party’s position, and make the statewide fracking ban a legislated reality, now sits with Premier Cook.

Traditional Owners urge Premier Cook to legislate a fracking ban in the Kimberley. Photo: Wendy Mitchell.

The Labor conference vote and Traditional Owner visit come at a critical time for the Kimberley. WA’s Environment Protection Authority is expected to make a decision in coming weeks on Texan company Black Mountain’s Valhalla fracking project in the National Heritage-listed Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment, east of Broome. 

If approved, fracking in the Kimberley could start as early as next year. Black Mountain would have permission to drill and frack 20 ‘test’ wells, with expectations that the company would ultimately drill hundreds and possibly thousands more, industrialising the Kimberley beyond recognition.

Traditional Owner from the Kimberley, Madeleine Jadai said, “We welcome the Labor Party decision on the weekend to ban fracking in the Kimberley. Our Country means everything to us and we are totally against anything that would damage and pollute it, like fracking.

“We’ve come from the Kimberley to let the Premier Roger Cook know we now want his government to take the next step and ban fracking.

“We’ve come to his Kwinana office to let him know how much this means to us. Premier Cook: please ban fracking on our land so we can have it safe for future generations.”

Traditional Owners called for a legislated ban on fracking in the Kimberley region. Photo: Martin Pritchard.

Environs Kimberley executive director Martin Pritchard said, “The Labor Party endorsing a ban on fracking in the Kimberley on the weekend was a huge shift. Now, the work begins to make the ban government policy and legislation, and we stand with Traditional Owners to protect Country and make it happen.”

Sale of decaying petroleum wells puts taxpayers at risk of funding cleanup in iconic Kimberley bay

Community groups say the Cook Government must take urgent action to protect WA taxpayers from a multimillion dollar cleanup bill for stricken petroleum infrastructure within a heritage-listed Kimberley bay, after the responsible company was sold off for a fraction of its original value. 

For years, community groups have called on the WA Government to force Rey Resources to clean up its decaying and corroding petroleum well infrastructure on the shores of King Sound, part of the National Heritage listed West Kimberley National Heritage Place. 

Photos of the degraded and partially inaccessible wells are available here.

Point Torment. Photo: Supplied.

Rey Resources’ latest quarterly update (see page two) confirms that a $400,000 deal to “dispose” of subsidiary Gulliver Productions, which owned three petroleum tenements that included the stricken wells in and adjacent to King Sound, has been finalised. 

Rey’s December 2024 quarterly report suggested there were yet to be met conditions (Page 3) as part of the deal to sell Gulliver to little-known overseas company China Guoxin Investment Holdings. Gulliver Productions was once valued at $4.8 million.

Documents obtained from the WA Mines and Petroleum department by Environs Kimberley through freedom of information laws revealed that in 2021, the three King Sound gas wells were corroding, there was oil staining on the ground, and a blow-out preventer was incorrectly positioned. The department identified 44 possible breaches in total, however it is unclear what, if any, remediation work has occurred since inspection. The 2021 inspection report recommended issuing seven “directions notices” to Gulliver Productions, which were not issued at the time for unexplained reasons.

Media reports this morning that the department recently issued one “directions notice” requiring the company to conduct cleanup works.

Groups working to protect the Kimberley are now calling on the government to take much stronger action to protect the WA taxpayer, and King Sound itself.

Stokes Bay. Photo: Supplied.

Environs Kimberley Executive Director Martin Pritchard said, “The Minister for Mines and Petroleum David Michael needs to take charge of this before we get into a ‘Northern Endeavour’ type situation. His department has allowed an obscure overseas company to take over petroleum leases for $400,000 that have potential clean-up liabilities of millions of dollars.

“We’re calling on Minister Michael to explain how taxpayers will not become liable for the clean-up costs. His department has already said that taxpayer liabilities for onshore oil and gas well clean-ups at two abandoned sites in the Kimberley amount to $2.9 million which is a significant underestimate in our view. See background below.

“Oil and gas companies appear to have free rein in the Kimberley to undertake exploration but it looks like existing legislation is failing to ensure that industry cleans up its mess. Millions of dollars of public funds are being spent on cleaning up the damage done by onshore oil and gas companies. Minister Michael needs to take charge here and stop this waste of taxpayer funds.”

Lock the Gate Alliance WA spokesperson Simone van Hattem said, “West Australians don’t want to see oil and gas companies destroy the majestic Kimberley.

“Right now, fossil fuels including fracking threaten the Kimberley, but this is a really good opportunity for the Cook Government to begin righting the wrongs that put this iconic region at risk.

“With the stroke of a pen, the Cook Government could make sure the threat of oil and gas in the heritage-listed King Sound environment is removed forever. It could make sure oil and gas never again threatens the water, land, and communities in this part of the Kimberley. It could be an important first step to banning fracking in the Kimberley altogether. 

“The Cook Government should permanently remove these tenements. They never should have been approved in King Sound region in the first place.”

West Kora. Photo: Supplied.

Background: A $1.5 million estimate for the ex-New Standard Energy well in the southern Kimberley was made in 2021 (source here) and $1.4 million for the Vienta-1 and Waggon Creek-1 wells near Kununurra (See page 44) Given the three wells that are now owned by Guoxin are located in a sensitive and relatively inaccessible coastal environment, it’s logical to assume rehabilitation costs will be much greater.

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.

WA Premier Roger Cook’s proposed changes to the EPA would slash environmental protections that the West Australian community has spent over 50 years fighting for, according to Broome based conservation group Environs Kimberley.

“These changes would slash environmental protection for iconic places like the Kimberley at a time when its recognised we are in a nature survival crisis and there has been no consultation with conservation groups,” said Environs Kimberley Director of Strategy Martin Pritchard.

The proposed changes include stacking the EPA Board with more industry representatives, getting private consultants to rush through decisions and the removal of the public’s right to appeal decisions on the environment.

“This is straight out of the fossil fuel industry’s playbook, they’ve been trying to weaken our environmental laws for decades. It’s an effective privatisation of what is supposed to be an independent advisor to government on WA’s globally significant environment,” Mr Pritchard said.

“The Premier’s assertion that reforms are needed due to ‘green tape strangling development’ are disingenuous. Delays have come about due to the lack of resources and staff in the EPA and the WA government should take responsibility for that.”

“We’re calling for public consultation on any proposed reforms and that a primary emphasis be put on protecting the environment not rushing damaging developments through.”

“We need a stronger EPA and environment laws. What is currently being proposed is exactly what Liberal Premier Colin Barnett wanted and we can’t believe the Labor Government is willing to gut our environmental laws to fast track damaging projects.”