Friends of Australian Rock Art v Woodside & Environment Minister - Federal Court of Australia
(Filed 2025, FCA, ongoing)
Friends of Australian Rock Art co-convenors Susan Swain (L) and Judith Hugo (R) hope the appeal will stop Woodside's North West Shelf extension. (ABC News: Lauren Smith)
Judicial review of decision by the Federal Environment Minister, Murray Watt, to approve Woodside’s application for approval to extend the North West Shelf gas project for 45 years, to 2070, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The project, if implemented, would dangerously increase greenhouse gas emissions at an estimated scale equivalent to a decade of Australia’s own domestic emissions.
Johnson Legal is acting for charity Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA), who argue that the Federal Environment Minister failed to consider economic and social harms when he decided to take into account the purported economic benefits (jobs) that would arise from his decision to approve the extension causing ongoing and irreversible harm to the ancient Murujuga rock art.
On 13 February 2025, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riaño, applied to be heard as an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”).
The case is set down for hearing before the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne on 21-24 April 2026. It will be run alongside a separate challenge to the Minister’s decision brought by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
This case is being run by Principal Lawyer Anita O’Hart, together with Senior Associate Asha Keaney, of Johnson Legal representing FARA. Sashi Maharaj KC, together with Selena Bateman, Verity Long-Droppert, Christopher Tran and Priyanka Banerjee of counsel are working across both of FARA’s legal challenges in the WA Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Australia.
