Environment Minister Murray Watt promises an open door but no clean slate as battle over new laws heats up

New Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has warned all sides will have to “give and take” as he met with the WA Premier and stakeholders, to launch a third attempt to overhaul environmental laws.

Labor’s controversial legislation has already been shelved twice after intervention from Roger Cook who called it a threat to WA jobs. But Mr Watt described their meeting in Perth on Tuesday as “very constructive”.

“We’ve got a a good relationship but clearly I’m going to be working with him and his team much more closely than I have in the past,” Mr Watt said.

“We’ve agreed to stay in regular contact.”

Mr Watt rejected the suggestion he needed to rebuild trust with Mr Cook and WA, after he was accused of ignoring the State’s opposition to a looming ban on live sheep exports as Agriculture Minister.

“I can point to all the consultation that we undertook,” he said.

“And Roger Cook strongly expressed his Government’s view. I want to hear from everyone with these reforms and I’ll have an open door, as I did on live sheep, to every view.

“At the end of the day I’ve got to make a decision and you can’t please everyone all the time. But my job is to come up with a package that has the broadest possible amount of support and can get through the Senate.

“No one’s going to get everything they want, and there’s going to need to be some give and take.”

Mr Watt told The West Australian he intended to follow the “spirit” of the Graeme Samuel review in 2021 that recommended the Minister retain final decision-making powers. But he would not commit to industry’s wish for a compliance-only watchdog, that would enforce conditions but not set them.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a clean slate or we’re going back to square one,” he said.

“I’ve got an open mind about all issues ... so I’m not going in with preconceptions. In terms of the timeframe, I’m not giving any guarantees but I think it makes sense to move quickly.”

He signalled he was willing to negotiate with either the Liberals or the Greens in the Senate.

“It would be a huge mistake from the Liberal party to take that kind of oppositional, negative approach to this or any other issue after the election,” Mr Watt said.

“Clearly we have two paths, either with I guess the Liberals now rather than the Coalition, or with the Greens.

“But I do think that industry groups here in Western Australia can play a constructive role in convincing the Liberals to support reform and I think environment groups can play a constructive role convincing the Greens to support reform.”

Mr Watt met with the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, the Australian Conservation Foundation and Greenpeace on Tuesday, as well as Mr Cook, Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti and Labor Ministers Simone McGurk and Don Punch.

He arrived in Perth under pressure over Woodside’s proposed North-West Shelf extension and has committed to making a decision by May 31, after it was twice deferred by former Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

“I can guarantee you that whatever decision I make there will be some people unhappy,” Mr Watt said.

“I’ll be doing what I can to make sure it’s legally sound.”

Mr Cook has repeatedly argued gas is a necessary transition fuel and called for a balance.

“We know that this whole issue invites very passionate views on all sides of the debate,” he said.

“We stand with them in wanting to protect the Burrup Peninsula,” he said.

“But we have the circumstances in front of us now that piece of infrastructure is incredibly important. If we can maintain the Karratha gas plant that’s a much better way to go than shutting it down now and seeing other developments, other projects have to develop the same sort of infrastructure to make sure that we can enjoy the benefits of that gas.”

Industry groups have warned any further delay, or a determination against the proposal, could deter investors and endanger jobs.

“Major project investment decisions are not taken lightly,” Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson said.

“There is significant upfront risk involved, and the ability to provide process and timeline certainty can be the difference between that capital being deployed here versus overseas.”

There are already signs Federal approval would be challenged in the courts, with Perth millionaire Janet Holmes a Court joining the ranks of conservation groups opposed to the $36 billion project.

“The shareholders of Woodside . . . all they want is money,” Ms Holmes a Court said outside State Parliament.

“They couldn’t care less about Indigenous art or climate change, they’re interested in their dividends.”

Greens MLC-elect Sophie McNeill said on Tuesday the government must reject the project if it was to have “any credibility left at all on climate”.