Thursday set for Woodside seismic call

A court-imposed injunction on seismic testing by Woodside Energy will continue until the end of Thursday at the earliest, following a Federal Court hearing in Perth today.  

Justice Craig Colvin reserved his decision until Thursday morning, after hearing evidence from lawyers for Mardudhunera Traditional Custodian Raelene Cooper, Woodside and the offshore environmental regulator National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

The hearing was brought following an approval granted to the LNG producer for seismic testing at its undeveloped Scarborough field off the North West Coast, subsequently challenged by Ms Cooper and the Environmental Defenders Office over an alleged lack of consultation with traditional owners.

The approval was granted by NOPSEMA to Woodside on the condition that further consultation be undertaken.

Ms Cooper argued she had not been adequately consulted on the testing, and that NOPSEMA’s approval was not legally valid.

A temporary injunction was placed on seismic testing at Scarborough by the court earlier this month, to allow the parties to prepare for today’s hearing on the matter.

Justice Colvin said he would set aside time on Thursday morning with the intention of delivering a decision.

The injunction against seismic at Scarborough was previously set until the end of Thursday, preventing any work until the case could be heard.

The case follows a decision by the Federal Court to overturn a key approval for Santos’ $4.7 billion Barossa offshore gas project late last year.

The decision was taken after the court considered the way Tiwi Traditional Owner and Elder Dennis Murphy Tipakalippa was consulted by Santos.