Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At this last sitting of the year, I wish you, Acting Deputy President Ciccione, and all my colleagues a merry Christmas. To the topic at hand, the coalition firmly believes that Australia needs an energy policy that puts our nation first. Our priority is affordable and reliable energy for households and businesses while also reducing emissions. This is an achievable task, but it needs to be done in a responsible and practical way.

Under Labor, we've seen electricity prices soar by over 40 per cent, putting industries under strain and jobs at risk. While important, emissions reduction must never come at the expense of Australian families, their jobs or economic stability. Protecting our environment is, of course, also important, but right now we are facing an unprecedented and deeply concerning development. A United Nations' special rapporteur is seeking to intervene in an Australian legal case on the Woodside North West Shelf Project, a cornerstone project in my home state of Western Australia. It's important to our economy. It's one of the largest job-creating energy projects in the nation.

For over 40 years, this project has played a nationally significant role and delivered Australia's LNG industry and economic growth. Recent environmental approvals to extend its operations were hard fought for by my colleagues and me and would allow operations to continue until 2070. But that approval is under threat. If this intervention proceeds, it could set a very dangerous precedent. Inviting foreign oversight into domestic environmental decisions is undermining Australia's sovereignty. It risks undermining parliamentary sovereignty and jeopardises the stability of a project that supports thousands of WA workers.