Leaked documents reveal confidential Woodside deal with traditional owners
Woodside's traditional owner partners of 30 years have criticised the land access deal behind Australia's biggest gas project, withdrawing support for its Browse expansion.
Confidential documents have exposed a dispute between Woodside Petroleum and the Ngarluma-Yindjibarndi Traditional Owners over a 1998 land access deal. This deal paved the way for Woodside's Browse Basin expansion, valued at $50 billion. The traditional owners claim the agreement is outdated and unfair, emphasizing their deep connection to the land.
They have publicly demanded a new, modernized agreement, rejecting claims they were pressured into signing the original deal. Woodside insists it respects changing standards but denies allegations of coercion. The dispute highlights the ongoing tension between oil and gas companies and Indigenous communities in Australia's resource-rich regions.
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