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❓ The WA parliamentary question probes the government's decision to allow onshore gas export to Woodside's NWS facility, questioning the impact on domestic gas prices and prioritisation of WA interests over Woodside's commercial gains. The answer refers to another question.

AnsweredQoN 17Legislative Council

Asked

8 April 2025

Member

Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Portfolio

Premier

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the previous decision by Premier Mark McGowan to allow the Waitsia project to supply gas from Western Australia's (WA) onshore reserves in the Perth Basin to Woodside's North West Shelf (NWS) export facility, and to the more recent decision by Premier Roger Cook to allow up to 20% of production from Perth Basin projects to supply the NWS export facility, and I ask: (a) will the Government now legislate the updated policy arrangements for the Perth Basin, including the 20% export allocation and the return to 100% reservation for the domestic market, after 31 December 2030; (b) if no to (a), why not; (c) has the Government undertaken any modelling or assessment of the impact of these decisions on WA gas prices; (d) if yes to (c), will the Minister table this analysis; (e) if no to (d), why not; (f) does the Minister accept the comments made by independent analyst and economist, Liam Wagner, who has warned that opening up of WA's domestic reserves for export would result in the onshore gas price being pegged to the international price; (g) if no to (f), what analysis is the Government relying on; (h) other than Woodside's NWS facility, which has a significant shortfall of gas from offshore fields, are there any other WA gas export facilities which are seeking to export gas from the State's onshore reserves in the next decade; (i) if no to (h), does the Minister concede that the recent moves to allow export of gas from onshore reserves are solely for the benefit of Woodside; and (j) given the very large demand for gas that will be created by Woodside's proposed NWS extension, and the fact that this facility is already a net taker of gas from the WA domestic reserves, how can the Minister assure West Australian's that it is putting their interests above the commercial interests of Woodside when making decisions about the NWS extension and the State's domestic gas reserves?