SYDNEY, Tuesday 23 JUNE 2026 — In response to today’s announcement from Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt regarding Woodside’s Browse project, the following comments can be attributed to Hannah Schuch, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific:

“Woodside’s Browse proposal to drill at least 50 oil and gas wells at Scott Reef, risking precious marine life like turtles and whales, oceans and the climate, deserves the utmost scrutiny by government regulators.

“The Browse proposal is worsened by a disastrous carbon dumping plan that involves drilling an additional seven wells — an obvious environmental red flag, especially given the record of underperformance of projects like Chevron’s carbon dumping failure, Gorgon.

“The Department’s decision to validate and consult publicly on the Australian Conservation Foundation’s reconsideration request — to consider the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef from the 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution that would result from Browse — lands the project in hot water.

“The case to reject Woodside’s ocean and climate-wrecking plans to drill at Scott Reef only continues to mount, and Minister Watt has an easy call to make: reject Browse and protect Scott Reef once and for all.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of Scott Reef can be found here

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Emma Sangalli on 0431 513 465 or [email protected]