WA: Govt prepared to compulsorily acquire land for LNG precinct

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2008
WA: Govt prepared to compulsorily acquire land for LNG precinct

PERTH, Dec 19 AAP - The West Australian government is prepared to compulsorily take
land for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) precinct, Premier Colin Barnett says.

A site, 60km north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula, has been chosen as the location
for a Kimberley LNG precinct, the West Australian government announced on Tuesday.

Premier Colin Barnett said a 10km strip of land at James Price Point offered a range
of potential development sites that could provide facilities for gas producers in the
Browse Basin, 300km to 400km offshore from the WA coast.

The decision follows a study by the WA government's Northern Development Taskforce,
which was established in June last year and looked at 40 possible sites for the multi-billion
dollar Kimberley precinct.

It arrived at four preferred sites, including the Dampier Peninsula locations of James
Price Point and North Head, Anjo Peninsula, much further north near the WA-Northern Territory
border, and Gourdon Bay, to the south of Broome.

Mr Barnett had favoured North Head, 140km north of Broome, which was the subject of
an adverse environmental report last week.

He said while technical and economic considerations had favoured the choice of North
Head, "a balance of factors" had led to the choice of James Price for the 1,000 to 2,000
hectare industrial estate.

"It was not determined solely on technical or engineering grounds, not determined solely
by environmental issues and not determined solely by Aboriginal and cultural issues,"

Mr Barnett told reporters.

He reiterated the government was prepared to compulsorily acquire the land if an agreement
could not be reached with Aboriginal groups, including the Kimberley Land Council, within
three months.

He said he hoped assessments and negotiations with all parties could be completed within a year.

"There needs to be a full and detailed environmental assessment, there needs to be
negotiations and hopefully agreement with indigenous people of the area," Mr Barnett said.

"With respect to indigenous issues it has been agreed by the state and commonwealth
governments, there will be period of three months during which time we hope to reach a
consent agreement with Aboriginal people for the government to acquire secure title over
that site.

"The commonwealth will provide a mediator to work with the commonwealth, the state
government and Aboriginal groups to try to resolve that issue.

"Hopefully that will succeed. In the event that it does not succeed then the state
will be prepared to proceed with compulsory acquisition of that site.

"But I am optimistic that we can reach an agreement on that site."

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KEYWORD: BROWSE

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