A Supreme Court challenge to the Western Australian state government approval for Woodside’s contentious North West Shelf extension, launched by Friends of Australian Rock Art Inc (FARA), has been adjourned until October 21.
Related article: New legal challenge for Woodside’s North West Shelf
The judicial review proceedings were launched on 12 June 2025 against the WA Minister for the Environment, Hon Matthew Swinbourn MLC, and Woodside, challenging the environmental approval granted by previous Environment Minister Hon Reece Whitby MLA in December 2024.
FARA is arguing that the court must overturn the state decision because the decision maker did not properly follow the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act. It will be argued that the state assessment failed to consider the impact of climate change that would result from the project (including Scope 3 emissions) on the environment, which includes the Murujuga rock art landscape.
It comes after revelations last week that Western Australia’s coral reefs have suffered their worst bleaching on record this year, with some reefs at 90% mortality following an extreme marine heatwave extending from late last year. The bleaching occurred on the same coastline as Woodside’s North West Shelf extension, which has been described as the biggest new fossil fuel project in the Southern Hemisphere.
Related article: Woodside’s North West Shelf approval is by no means a one-off. Here are six other giant gas projects to watch
These proceedings could have implications for the project’s outstanding Commonwealth approval, which relies on the state assessment in an accredited assessment process under the EPBC Act.
