2026-09-03
While gas extraction projects offer immediate economic benefits, longer term consequences for the environment and today’s younger generation need to be factored in
By Grace Lawrance
About Grace Lawrance
I’m a Year 11 student with a strong passion for politics, advocacy, and the environment. 
My interest in these areas has grown from a deep connection to the world around me and a genuine belief that we have a responsibility to look after the places we call home. I’ve always cared deeply about the environment and the natural world. Growing up in Western Australia, I’ve been lucky enough to experience so much of what makes this state special, from its beaches and forests to its unique wildlife and landscapes. Those experiences have made environmental protection feel personal to me, rather than simply another political issue.
My interest in politics has developed alongside this passion. I’m fascinated by how decisions made in Parliament can have consequences far beyond politics itself, affecting our communities, our environment, and the lives of future generations.
Through my involvement in Youth Parliament and The Greens, I have had opportunities to learn more about politics and become more involved in issues I care about. I’m still learning, and I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I believe being willing to listen, question, and learn is an important part of being politically engaged.
Ultimately, I care about leaving the world in a better place than I found it. I believe protecting our environment is not just about preserving beautiful places for us to enjoy, but about respecting our responsibility to the generations that come after us. I hope that one day, when I leave this beautiful planet, my soul will have gained more than my hands took.
What is the Browse Project?
The Browse Project is a proposed offshore gas development in the Browse Basin, approximately 425 kilometers north of Broome. The project is being proposed by Woodside and its joint venture partners and would involve developing gas fields and transporting the gas to existing processing facilities at the North West Shelf near Karratha.
It is an enormous proposal, with consequences that could extend for decades.
The project has been discussed for years, but it continues to attract significant controversy because of its location near the Kimberley and the environmentally sensitive Scott Reef.
Scott Reef is not simply an empty stretch of ocean. It is a complex marine ecosystem supporting more than 2,000 marine species. The area is also connected to the broader ecological and cultural significance of the Kimberley.
This is where the debate becomes much bigger than simply asking whether Australia needs more gas.
It becomes a question of what we are willing to risk for it.
The Economic Argument
Supporters of the Browse Project point to the economic benefits.
Woodside argues that the project would create jobs, generate investment, and provide significant tax revenue to governments. For Western Australia, a state whose economy has historically relied heavily on mining and resources, these arguments are understandably influential.
There is also an argument that natural gas will continue to play a role in Australia’s energy system, particularly while the transition towards renewable energy continues.
These are not arguments that should simply be dismissed, but economic benefits cannot be the only consideration when assessing a project of this scale.
The real question should be whether the economic benefits justify the environmental and climate risks, and whether there are better ways to create jobs and investment in Western Australia.
Scott Reef
Perhaps the biggest concern surrounding Browse is its proximity to Scott Reef.
The Kimberley is one of the most environmentally significant regions in Australia, and Scott Reef is an important marine ecosystem. Developing large-scale gas infrastructure in such an environment inevitably raises questions about what could happen if something goes wrong.
Woodside has made changes to its proposal in response to environmental concerns, including moving proposed drilling locations and introducing measures intended to reduce environmental risks.
These changes are important, but reducing risk is not the same as eliminating it.
When we are talking about an ecosystem that has existed for thousands of years, even a small possibility of significant damage deserves serious consideration.
The Climate Problem
There is another issue that is impossible to separate from Browse: climate change.
Australia has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. At the same time, projects such as Browse involve developing fossil fuel resources that could operate for decades.
Woodside has proposed carbon capture and storage as part of its plans to reduce the project’s emissions. Carbon capture technology may have a role to play in reducing emissions from some industries, but it does not change the fact that Browse is fundamentally a gas project.
This creates a difficult contradiction.
How can we seriously plan for a net-zero future while continuing to approve major new fossil fuel infrastructure designed to operate for decades?
This isn’t an argument that we can simply stop using gas tomorrow; it is an argument about direction.
Every dollar invested in a new fossil fuel project is a dollar that could potentially be invested in renewable energy, battery storage, electricity infrastructure, manufacturing, and the industries that will be needed in a changing economy.
What about jobs?
This is probably one of the strongest arguments made in favour of Browse.
People need jobs. Communities need investment. Western Australia needs a strong economy.
But protecting the environment does not mean opposing jobs. The question is what jobs we want to create.
Western Australia has enormous potential in renewable energy and related industries. We have some of the best solar and wind resources in the country, as well as significant opportunities in energy storage and renewable manufacturing.
A transition away from fossil fuels should not mean leaving workers behind. It should mean making sure workers and communities have opportunities to move into the industries that will be needed in the future.
A just transition needs investment, training, and planning.
It shouldn’t simply be a choice between protecting the environment and protecting people’s livelihoods.
First Nations Connection to Country
There is also a crucial part of this discussion that cannot be reduced to economics or environmental statistics.
The Kimberley is Country.
For First Nations peoples, Country is not simply land or sea that exists to be developed. It is connected to culture, history, identity, and responsibility.
Any major development in that region therefore needs to seriously consider Traditional Owners and their connection to Country.
This is particularly important given Australia’s history of making decisions about land and resources without First Nations peoples having meaningful control over what happens to Country.
Environmental protection and First Nations rights should not be treated as separate issues; they are deeply connected.
Thinking Beyond the Next Election
One of the things that concerns me most about climate policy is how often governments make decisions according to short political timelines.
A new gas project can bring investment and revenue relatively quickly.
The environmental consequences of climate change are much harder to reverse.
That difference matters.
Dictatorships have often inflicted generational punishments, where decisions made by one person are forced upon other people who have no say in them. We rightly condemn that idea when it comes to politics, so why should we accept it when it comes to the environment?
If we know the consequences could last for decades, why should this generation have the right to decide what future generations are forced to live with?
Someone who is 16 today could still be alive when Browse is operating decades from now. They could be dealing with the consequences of decisions made while they were still in school.
That makes climate change policy inherently intergenerational.
Young people aren’t asking governments to solve every problem overnight. But we should be able to expect governments to think beyond the next election and consider what Australia will look like in 20, 30, or 40 years.
So, what should happen?
The Browse Project is still subject to environmental assessment and government decision-making. That process matters.
Environmental concerns should be properly investigated. Climate impacts should be taken seriously. First Nations voices should be respected. And the claimed economic benefits should be independently scrutinized rather than simply accepted.
Most importantly, we shouldn’t assume that because something creates jobs or revenue, it is automatically worth doing.
Western Australia has an opportunity to be a leader in the energy transition.
We can have a strong economy without remaining permanently dependent on expanding fossil fuel extraction.
We can create jobs while protecting ecosystems.
We can invest in regional communities while respecting Country.
And we can plan for energy security without locking ourselves into decades of new fossil fuel dependence.
For me, the Browse Project represents a much bigger question than whether one gas development should go ahead.
It asks us: what kind of Western Australia do we want?
One that continues to measure success by how much we can extract?
Or one that recognizes that some places are worth more than their economic value?
I think Scott Reef is one of those places.
Header photo: Scott Reef. Credit: Australian Institute of Marine Science
[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]