The Wire

Heritage and environmental groups have vowed to appeal a decision by the West Australian Environmental Protection Authority to allow a gas processing development to go ahead on the Burrup Peninsula. The peninsula is home to up to a million aboriginal rock art pictures known as petroglifs – believed to be the largest such collection in the world. While the decision is yet to be approved by the Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell, statements made by the minister in recent days suggest that he will be looking to strike a compromise that would see at least part of the peninsula given over to the Woodside petroleum gas development. The Western Australian Government maintains that the development will bring an economic boon to the Burrup area, but the local indigenous community is also devastated that the plant looks set to go ahead. This report features comments from Robin Chapel from National Trust office in Perth, one of the groups that intend to appeal the decision by the West Australian EPA and Greens Senator Rachel Siewert. The WA Premier’s office declined to comment.