The Australian Greens said today the WA Government’s obsession with developing James Price Point continues with the appointment of a new panel to assess the Browse precinct, despite there now being no firm proposal for the area.

“The announcement of a new Browse assessment shows that the WA Government is refusing to back down from plans to industrialise the Kimberley,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens marine spokesperson said today.

“Colin Barnett’s government accepted the previous EPA assessment, knowing full well how deeply flawed it was. 

The Australian Greens said today that shale gas fracking would further industrialise the Kimberley, despite serious and ongoing community and environmental concerns.

"Industry and the WA Government are strongly pushing fracking, despite the risks it presents," Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

"Shale gas fracking and drilling is the latest onslaught to agricultural and regional communities, causing land disturbance and a significant threat of contamination and disruption of groundwater systems.

"WA Premier Colin Barnett has taken a step closer to realising his dream of opening up the Kimberley to industrialisation, after finalising the acquisition of the land at James Price Point." Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

"From the very start of this flawed and drawn out process, the Premier's priorities have been skewed in favour of industrialisation, rather than supporting the WA community and a building a sustainable future for the Kimberley.

The Australian Greens said today the WA Government can't be trusted to have the only and final say on environmental assessments in WA.

"The WA Government has been the major driver of industrial development in WA, how can they then be left to have sole responsibility for assessing that development?," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens Kimberley spokesperson said today.

"We are calling on the WA Government to be upfront about any plans to sign up to Tony Abbott's flawed one-stop-shop for environmental approvals.

The Australian Greens have today released their Kimberley Vision Paper, which sets out a future for the Kimberley that puts people and the environment ahead of exploitative industrialisation.

"The decisions about the future of the Kimberley need to be made by the community, governments have limited understanding of the potential and the limitations of the region so must listen to the community," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens Kimberley spokesperson said today.

The Australian Greens today called for WA Premier Colin Barnett to finally abandon attempts to industrialise James Price Point in the Kimberley after the Supreme Court's decision to uphold an appeal against the environmental approvals of the now-abandoned LNG processing hub.

"This decision shows that the WA Government has trashed our environmental decision making process to drive their industrial agenda," Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

"Clearly there were deep flaws in the EPA and WA Government's processes when it came to assessing James Price Point for development.

On World Environment Day Western Australian senator Scott Ludlam has warned that a Coalition-controlled Federal Parliament would spell disaster for WA's environment.

"The Barnett Government's record on environmental matters is appalling: They pushed the destruction of James Price Point; approved a plan for a uranium mine on a river bed that floods intermittently; have given the go ahead to destroying Point Peron; and back expanded coal mining and more coal-fired power generation in the state's South West.

Woodside and Colin Barnett's plan to wreck James Price Point is looking increasingly obsessive as leading companies turn their backs on obsolete onshore processing, the Greens said today.

Speaking from Broome today Greens Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam said "Shell and Exxon Mobil are pursuing floating LNG projects while Woodside clings to its plan to ruin the pristine coast at James Price Point".

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke must intervene immediately to protect Aboriginal heritage at James Price Point and beyond in the wake of the Western Australian government's decision to allow the Woodside Petroleum Gas Hub to disturb Aboriginal heritage sites, the Australian Greens said today.

Greens leader Senator Christine Milne said "I'm shocked that the West Australian government is allowing such destructive acts to happen, particularly when there are two court cases pending.

"Tony Burke has to step in immediately to protect this priceless heritage."

I  rise  tonight  to speak about the imminent threat posed to a unique part of Australia. It is a stretch of the pristine Kimberley coastline, which tells the story of our planet and our country from 130 million years ago. It has a record of our planet that was formed at a time when Australia, Antarctica  and  New  Zealand  formed  a  single  land mass.