Environment minister accused of breaking transparency promise on North West Shelf conditions
Watt's decision to keep private the conditions on the 50-year extension of its North West Shelf assets on the Pilbara coast followed advice from Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water bureaucrats, internal department documents have revealed.
This masthead understands the conditions will likely not be made public until after Watt's attendance at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris later this month, where he will argue for rock art on the Burrup Peninsula to be World Heritage-listed.
However, the Australian Conservation Foundation used Freedom of Information laws to obtain an internal department note from May 19, which recommended Watt approve Woodside's proposal and agree not to publish the decision on the internet for public comment.
The note was dated three days before an interview with Watt published in The Daily Telegraph saw the new environment minister talk up the public consultation he would undertake in his role.
'I think the more transparent we can be, the more open to ideas and suggestions we can be, it maximises the chances of building the community's confidence in the decisions that you make,' Watt said at the time.
Watt gave conditional approval to the extension subject to conditions around management of the risk of emissions on the nearby Murujuga rock art gallery on May 28.
The conditions were meant to be made public 10 days from that date, but Watt extended that timeline.
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