❓ Environmental Protection Authority—Bennett Resources 14. Hon Amanda Dorn to the Minister for the Environment: I refer to the Environmental Protection Authority's recommendation to approve Bennett Reso
AnsweredQoN 14Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
Environmental Protection Authority—Bennett Resources
14. Hon Amanda Dorn to
the Minister for the Environment:
I refer to the Environmental
Protection Authority's recommendation to approve Bennett Resources' Valhalla fracking
project in the Kimberley.
(1) What oversight mechanisms exist when the EPA
recommends approval, and federal independent experts found the proponent's
environmental assessment "limited and disjointed" with "largely
unsupported" conclusions?
(2) What oversight mechanisms exist to assess the
proponent's financial capacity to meet environmental and rehabilitation
obligations, given the annual report records cash reserves of $5.7 million?
(3) Is the minister aware that the Australian
Securities and Investments Commission fined the proponent $39,960 in January
2023 for false environmental claims about this project, and what weight will
the minister give to this when considering the EPA's recommendation?
14. Hon Amanda Dorn to
the Minister for the Environment:
I refer to the Environmental
Protection Authority's recommendation to approve Bennett Resources' Valhalla fracking
project in the Kimberley.
(1) What oversight mechanisms exist when the EPA
recommends approval, and federal independent experts found the proponent's
environmental assessment "limited and disjointed" with "largely
unsupported" conclusions?
(2) What oversight mechanisms exist to assess the
proponent's financial capacity to meet environmental and rehabilitation
obligations, given the annual report records cash reserves of $5.7 million?
(3) Is the minister aware that the Australian
Securities and Investments Commission fined the proponent $39,960 in January
2023 for false environmental claims about this project, and what weight will
the minister give to this when considering the EPA's recommendation?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member
for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The Environmental Protection
Authority's report was subject to a three-week public appeal period, which
closed on 10 February 2026. The Appeals Convenor is currently investigating
this matter and will deliver a report to me at the conclusion of this process.
Separately, the proposal was determined to be a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
1999 (EPBC act) (EPBC 2024/10006) and is being assessed by the
Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The Commonwealth assessment is ongoing and is independent to the EPA's
assessment. Once the Appeals Convenor has completed the investigation, I will
consider all relevant matters. As the appeal process is underway it would not be
inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.
for some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The Environmental Protection
Authority's report was subject to a three-week public appeal period, which
closed on 10 February 2026. The Appeals Convenor is currently investigating
this matter and will deliver a report to me at the conclusion of this process.
Separately, the proposal was determined to be a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
1999 (EPBC act) (EPBC 2024/10006) and is being assessed by the
Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The Commonwealth assessment is ongoing and is independent to the EPA's
assessment. Once the Appeals Convenor has completed the investigation, I will
consider all relevant matters. As the appeal process is underway it would not be
inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.