1360. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the requests the minister made in 2018 that the Environmental Protection Authority review the implementation conditions regarding greenhouse gases on the Wheatstone development, ministerial statement 873; and the Gorgon gas development, ministerial statement 800.
(1) Can the minister please advise when each of these reports are expected to be completed?
(2) Will the minister please confirm that these reports will both be released in full to the public upon completion?
(3) Will the minister commit to requiring these projects comply with any recommendations the EPA might make regarding greenhouse gas emission reductions?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The Environmental Protection Authority published its report on its inquiry into condition 26 of ministerial statement 800 for the Gorgon gas development revised and expanded proposal in September 2019. Ministerial statement 1136 was subsequently released in May 2020.
With regard to my request for an inquiry into ministerial statement 873 for the Wheatstone development, I am advised that the EPA is still conducting its inquiry and is expecting to report in mid-2021.
(2) Yes. The Environmental Protection Act 1986 requires that EPA reports on inquiries made under section 46 are published.
(3) For the Wheatstone development, I will consider the EPA’s advice and recommendation and consult with other decision-making authorities in accordance with the EP act before making my decision on the implementation conditions. This is the statutory process that was followed in issuing ministerial statement 1136 for the amendment to condition 26 for the Gorgon gas development’s revised and expanded proposal.