The Kimberley $67.5 million resilience package announced today by the WA Premier fails to get to grips with the ruinously expensive costs of climate change, according to Broome-based conservation group Environs Kimberley.

The WA State Government's mid-term performance review in December revealed that the January 2023 floods in the Kimberley, induced by climate change, will cost taxpayers over $869 million. This extra $67.5 million brings the costs of climate change close to a billion dollars in just over a year.

Environs Kimberley Director of Strategy Martin Pritchard said:

“The Cook Government has described the Fitzroy Crossing floods as the worst in WA’s history but has yet to acknowledge that this is exactly what’s been predicted for the Kimberley with climate change. The amount of taxpayer funds going into climate change disasters is only going to increase — and we’re already looking at a billion dollars from 2023/4 alone.”

"Even as the impacts of climate change get worse, the Cook Government is sleepwalking into one of the biggest polluting industries in the world – oil and gas fracking – right here in the Kimberley.

Climate change scientists have estimated that if the oil-and-gas fracking industry in the Kimberley takes off, it could unleash three times Australia’s emissions of climate-changing CO2 into the atmosphere than our estimated emissions budget under the Paris Agreement[1].  

“The Premier Roger Cook is playing around the edges, while the Kimberley heads to becoming unlivable according to the climate modeling the WA Government itself uses.” [2]

“The Premier is pouring taxpayer money to fix up climate-change disasters, while at the same time allowing an oil-and-gas fracking industry to operate, which would produce globally significant climate-changing carbon pollution. This is wrong. If we want a resilient future, then these types of industries must be banned.”

Photo: Fitzroy River bridge, 2023 floods - Andrea Myers

[1] Climate Analytics Western Australia's gas gamble - implications of natural gas extraction in WA

[2] WA Government Western Australian Climate Change Projections (2021)

The WA state government's mid-term performance review has revealed that the January 2023 floods in the Kimberley will cost taxpayers over $869 million dollars. 

The announcement comes on a 45C day in Fitzroy Crossing. 

Broome-based conservation group Environs Kimberley (EK) is calling on the State and Federal governments to recoup the cost from fossil fuel companies who have made billions in profits over the past year, while driving worsening climate impacts. EK is also calling on the WA and Commonwealth governments not to approve new gas projects in the Kimberley, including proposals by Buru Energy and Woodside. 

EK Director of Strategy Martin Pritchard said, "The January 2023 floods have had a devastating impact on communities in the Kimberley’s Fitzroy Valley with many people losing all their possessions and homes. It’s now been revealed that this flood has come at a cost of what's likely to be over a billion dollars to taxpayers and private businesses. 

"The State and Federal governments need to recognise that fossil fuel-driven climate change comes at an enormous cost to communities, taxpayers, private businesses and the natural environment and we know what and whom is causing this – oil, gas and coal companies."

The revelation of the enormous cost of the flood comes on a 45C day in Fitzroy Crossing with the next 10 days predicted to be above 40C. Fitzroy Crossing will be unliveable in the next 50 years with CSIRO and BoM data projecting 225 days over 40C a year if we continue on the current emissions trajectory.

“Catastrophic climate events like floods and heatwaves have been predicted for years and now we are bearing the enormous costs of burning fossil fuels while oil and gas companies like Woodside make billions in profits. There’s something very wrong with this picture and it’s clearly not sustainable for the environment nor taxpayers.

“We are calling on governments to firstly stop the damage by preventing new fossil fuel projects like Buru Energy's Kimberley onshore gas proposal and Woodside’s offshore Browse project and second, to instigate a ‘Climate Change Disaster Levy’ on fossil fuel companies that can be used to plan for climate change disasters as well as fund recovery work.

"Woodside has put a measly $750k towards flood recovery while making billions in profits and wants to open up more gasfields that will fuel climate change for another 50 years. They are throwing spare change at Western Australians suffering from floods, heatwaves and fires while pocketing enormous profits for themselves. 

“We cannot open up any new oil and gas fields if we want a safe climate.”

Photo of Fitzroy Crossing bridge collapsing in 2023 flood: Andrea Myers