PERTH, Monday 11 August 2025 – A new analysis released today by an alliance of unions and leading environmental organisations has recommended a nation-first ‘decommissioning hub’ be built in Western Australia to manage the state’s growing number of retired offshore oil and gas infrastructure.
The WA Can’t Wait report, a collaboration between Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Unions WA, Conservation Council WA, Maritime Union of Australia – WA Branch, The Wilderness Society, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union – WA Branch, Electrical Trades Union – WA Branch, found that a WA decommissioning hub would deliver thousands of secure, skilled jobs, protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities, and direct scrap steel and other valuable resources into local domestic circular supply chains.
The report’s recommendations include that:
- A decommissioning hub be built in Western Australia, near current fossil fuel infrastructure and where green recycling facilities can be established
- Oil and gas operators are held financially responsible and a fully industry-funded clean-up be mandated
- Existing laws are strengthened and enforced to ensure a full and timely decommissioning
- The safety of workers and the environment is prioritised
- Investment in ports, recycling facilities and local workforces is increased to support decommissioning and emerging offshore wind and other renewable energy industries.
Geoff Bice, Greenpeace Australia Pacific WA Campaign Lead, said:
“Our oceans are buckling under pressure from the fossil fuel industry, the drilling, extracting and burning of fossil fuels, and the mismanagement of oil and gas infrastructure. Spills and discarded toxic material have dire impacts on the ocean and all life that depends on it.
“89% of Australia’s 5.7 million tonnes of offshore oil and gas infrastructure is in West Australian waters. The fossil fuel industry treats our oceans like a dump. WA’s oceans can’t become a graveyard for the rotting skeletons of the oil and gas industry.
“A decommissioning hub is WA-positive, and the industry should foot the bill for their own mess. This isn’t just a clean-up plan, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a world-leading industry.”
Rikki Hendon, UnionsWA Secretary, said:
“The oil and gas infrastructure off Western Australia’s coastline must be decommissioned at the end of its life. That work needs to be done properly, safely, and locally.
“The opportunity to create thousands of secure jobs here in WA by putting in place a local decommissioning hub is right in front of us. We have the people, we have the industrial capacity, and we have the know-how.”
Matt Roberts, Conservation Council of Western Australia Executive Director, said:
“50% of Australia’s offshore oil and gas infrastructure is due to be decommissioned by 2030 and most of it is in WA. It is critical that companies are held to account to deliver on their environmental responsibilities.
There are also huge opportunities for new jobs in decommissioning and metals recycling. These are the jobs of the future that will help us transition to renewable energy.”
Will Tracey, Maritime Union of Australia WA Secretary said:
“This report is a wake-up call. It shows that with the right coordination, WA can get the job done locally and safely — creating union jobs, protecting our pristine coast, and practicing responsible stewardship of hazardous waste. We welcome this practical, worker and community-focused contribution to solving a national decommissioning bottleneck. This is how we keep high value jobs in WA and secure economic strength for decades to come, building a bridge between the energy past and a just, sustainable future.
“While this report points the way forward, the federal government is doing the opposite — towing the Northern Endeavour and 40,000 tonnes of recyclable steel to Europe instead of backing local yards and local jobs. It’s time for the government to act on what workers and communities are calling for: full removal, local recycling, and a Future Made in Australia that starts in WA.”
Steve McCartney, Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union WA Secretary, said:
“Western Australia has an opportunity to develop a circular economy in steel production, using the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure as a feedstock for green steel recycling onshore.
“Not only would this help stand up green steel projects in the South West, it would provide long-term and stable onshore demand so we never see another debacle like the Northern Endeavour work being stolen from Australian workers ever again.”
Fern Cadman, Wilderness Society Fossil Fuel Industry Campaigner, said:
“Australia and WA are already behind the eight ball on decommissioning. The longer we wait, the harder the work is and the more the environment is at risk. We hope this report is a kick into gear for governments and industry.
“The magnificent oceans of WA mustn’t become an industrial wasteland for the oil and gas sector. Cleaning up the legacy of the offshore oil and gas industry is a responsibility and an opportunity.”
Adam Woodage, Electrical Trades Union WA Secretary, said:
“Decommissioning must be approached with the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility. Cutting corners puts workers, communities and our fragile marine ecosystems at risk. The legacy we leave beneath the waves must reflect not just decades of extraction, but our commitment to doing the right thing when the work is done.”
The report release follows recent revelations that Australian taxpayers are facing a $500 million clean-up bill for Chevron’s aging oil and gas infrastructure in WA waters and that the safety regulator NOPSEMA has ordered Woodside to restart decommissioning work at several offshore oil and gas fields.
–ENDS–
The ‘WA Can’t Wait’ report is available here
