Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the great Western Australian gas industry—in particular, the North West Shelf project. The life-cycle extension of the North West Shelf is an absolute no-brainer. It is a great shame on this Labor government that, when given the opportunity to make a rapid decision, they chose, for political reasons, to kick the can down the road, to delay it past the election. In sum total now, the approval of a life-cycle extension—not a new project; a life-cycle extension—has taken years under state and federal Labor governments.

This project was always going to be extended, not merely for economic reasons—though they are very important—but also for geostrategic reasons. This is an essential supply to key strategic partners, like Japan and South Korea. The North West Shelf project is a key part of the Western Australian economy. That doesn't just benefit my home state of Western Australia but actually benefits all of us. For example, one of the key players in the North West Shelf, Woodside, a great Western Australian success story, alone paid $5 billion in taxes and levies in 2023 alone. The North West Shelf project has returned over $40 billion in royalties and excise since 1984. As we heard in this place today, that is longer than many new entrants to this place have been alive—sadly not me! This is a generational project essential to Western Australia's energy suppliers and essential for international security.