Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Christine Milne and Greens spokesperson for the Kimberley, Senator Rachel Siewert, visited James Price Point yesterday. Today they will be aboard the Sea Shepherd's flagship vessel, the Steve Irwin, to see the whale nursery under threat from the Woodside gas hub development.

"This amazing place is a clear example of how fixation on short term gas profits can do huge damage to people and communities' interests into the future," Senator Christine Milne said.

The Australian Greens said today that 60% of Australians do not support the processing of gas in the Kimberley.

Speaking  today at the announcement of the Sea Shepherd’s visit to Broome and the Kimberley Senator Rachel Siewert, said polling release today made it clear that Australians say ‘No’ to the development of a gas hub in the Kimberley.
Australian Greens spokesperson on the Kimberley, Rachel Siewert said the planned industrialisation of James Price Point is rightly attracting nation-wide and international attention.

The Australian Greens have today condemned the release of the EPA’s Report and Recommendations on the proposal to locate the Browse Basin Gas Hub at James Price Point in the Kimberley saying environmental assessment has reached a new low point in WA.

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says a report published by Palaeontologist Tony Thulborn further highlights how inappropriate James Price Point is as a site for a gas hub.

“This report underscores the fact that this area is important for a great number of reasons, and shouldn’t be destroyed by industrialisation,” Senator Siewert said today.

“I am very concerned that not enough attention has been paid to the value of this site.

The Australian Greens say WA Premier Colin Barnett’s threat to use State Agreement Acts to lock in the construction of a LNG hub at James Price Point underline his obsession with development in the Kimberley.

“The Premier is seeking to force Woodside and the joint venture partners to his preferred outcome,” Senator Rachel Siewert said today. 

“He is governing in the interests of short term economic gain and industrialisation, in the expectation that a LNG hub at James Price Point is just the stepping stone to the Kimberley becoming an industrial powerhouse.

The Australian Greens say the sale of a 15% stake in the Browse Basin project to Woodsides’s North West Shelf partners further strengthens the case for processing Browse LNG at a location other than James Price Point.

“It makes sense to use existing infrastructure to process gas from the Browse Basin rather than jeopardising James Price Point through a greenfields development,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens Kimberley spokesperson said in Perth today.

The Australian Greens have called on Woodside and the James Price Point joint venture partners to reassess their choice of location for the LNG hub after the final investment decision on the project was delayed to mid 2013.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson for the Kimberley & Northern Australia said today that the delay offered yet another opportunity for the project to be moved to a less harmful site.

“Time, resources and money have been wasted on plans to locate the LNG factory at James Price Point,” Senator Siewert said today.

The Australian Greens have criticised the WA Government’s latest attempt to secure the land for the unnecessary development of an LNG hub in the Kimberley.

“To see Premier Colin Barnett take renewed steps to secure the land at James Price Point is very disappointing and will no doubt harden community opposition,” WA Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“Premier Barnett and the joint partners continue to ignore the fact that better options exist for this project, including sending the LNG to the Pilbara to utilise existing infrastructure.

The joint venture partners of the proposed gas hub at James Price Point must be growing increasingly frustrated with the project, the Australian Greens said today.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on the Kimberley says that the joint venture partners should be looking for alternative development locations.

“It is clear that other locations offer a better alternative than James Price Point,” Senator Siewert said today.

“A new site should be chosen so that development does not compromise culture, heritage or the environment.