Greens WA Member of Parliament Robin Chapple MLC has vowed to continue his opposition to the establishment of a gas processing plant at James Price Point.
His comments are in response to the announcement today by State Environment Minister Bill Marmion that he has given approval for the project to go ahead.
“This project has been flawed from the outset,” Mr Chapple said.
“Minister Marmion’s so-called ‘strengthened conditions’ is little more than tinkering at the edges of a massive industrial development that will prove to be disastrous for the ecology, Aboriginal heritage and paleontological values of the area.
“No matter how the Minister dresses this up, the project will cut across the song line known as the Lurujarri Trail that has been celebrated for thousands of years and which is central to the wellbeing of the Goolarabooloo people.
“Thousands of words have been written about its significance, which was accepted at a warden’s court hearing in the 1980s, and no amount of rhetoric about ‘reducing the impact’ and ‘enhancing the protection’ will alter that fact.
“It is unacceptable that Minister Marmion is looking to the State EPA’s report, which was the work of one man, and the recommendations of another one-man phenomenon: the ‘Appeals Committee’ for guidance in this matter.
“We must now turn to the Federal Minister for the Environment to halt this foolishness and disallow the development.