PERTH, Monday 9 December 2024 – A coalition of West Australian workers and environmental organisations have released a joint statement calling on the West Australian government to fast-track a suite of changes to bolster the home-grown green energy industry.
The statement, Delivering the Next Generation WA Economy authored by the Conservation Council of WA, MUA, AMWU, ETU, UnionsWA and Greenpeace Australia Pacific, highlights priorities the WA government must take to position Western Australia as a global green energy powerhouse.
Some key asks from the statement include:
- $15 Billion Next Generation Economy Fund — Co-invest with the Federal Government to attract clean industries and support renewable energy transitions across WA
- Renewable Energy Target and Infrastructure Planning — Clear and careful planning and oversight to ensure protection of nature, efficient processes, and ongoing timetable of investment starting with an 82% or 20GW Renewable Energy Target by 2030
- WA Household Battery Scheme — A government subsidy scheme with a particular focus on low income households would lead to a more equitable and sustainable energy system across WA
WA’s vast solar and wind resources position the state to lead the global transition to green industries such as green iron, green ammonia, and renewable energy. The statement outlines how the WA government can champion and create thousands of jobs, reduce carbon emissions, and drive billions of dollars in export income.
Mia Pepper, Campaigns Director at the Conservation Council of WA, said:
“To protect the nature we all love from the impacts of climate change, we know we need to rapidly decarbonise the Western Australian economy. That means we need our government to demonstrate leadership by setting an ambitious target for renewable energy, planning proactively to minimise environmental impacts, and providing clear pathways and supports for the development of the green industries that will secure our future.”
Rikki Hendon, Secretary at UnionsWA, said:
“The time is now to build on what WA has achieved so far and secure our clean energy future. Investing in these industries is a win for workers, our communities and our environment.”
Steve McCartney, Secretary at AMWU WA, said:
“WA has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build industries that reduce global emissions, generate billions of dollars more a year for the State, and give metalworkers secure, well-paid jobs for decades. But we need to be ambitious and act quickly.”
Will Tracey, State Secretary at MUA WA, said:
“Now is the time to start the conversation and lay the groundwork for Renewable Energy, Green Industry, and Western Australia’s role in this transition. With many WA workers in industries that face risks from the global shift towards decarbonisation, action is needed to ensure our current and future workforces can not only adapt but thrive in these emerging sectors. Western Australia has the potential to lead the new industrial landscape, but we must act now to secure our place and avoid falling behind. It is critical that we fight as hard for the jobs of the future as we do the jobs of today.”
Adam Woodage, State Secretary at ETU WA, said:
“As the world accelerates toward a zero-carbon future, Western Australia’s electro-technology workforce stands at the forefront of this transition. Our members possess the skills, innovation, and expertise to power the industries and homes of tomorrow with clean, sustainable energy. From electrifying green hydrogen and manufacturing to installing cutting-edge solar, battery, and EV infrastructure, these highly skilled workers will be integral to WA’s evolution into a global leader in renewable energy and sustainable industry.
“The WA government must seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity by investing ambitiously in our clean energy future. Backing initiatives like the household battery scheme, renewable energy targets, and infrastructure planning isn’t just an environmental imperative—it’s a pathway to creating thousands of secure, well-paid jobs and ensuring WA’s economy thrives in a decarbonized world. Our members are ready to lead the charge; now it’s time for bold action from our leaders.”
Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:
“The WA government has an incredible opportunity to drive down emissions and help protect our wild places from the worst impacts of climate change by investing in a renewable energy future. WA has the opportunity to become a best-practice renewable energy-based economy on the world stage. We can lead the clean energy transition – the government has the tools; it now needs to follow with ambition and action.”
— ENDS —
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Darcy Gunning (AMWU) on 0408 877 136 or at darcy.gunning@amwu.org.au
The case shows that climate change is a fundamental human rights violation—and the victory of Bonaire, a Dutch territory, could open the door for similar lawsuits globally.
From our collaborating partner Living on Earth, public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by Paloma Beltran with Greenpeace Netherlands campaigner Eefje de Kroon.
A Tiny Caribbean Island Sued the Netherlands Over Climate Change, and Won
Climate Change
Greenpeace organisations to appeal USD $345 million court judgment in Energy Transfer’s intimidation lawsuit
SYDNEY, Saturday 28 February 2026 — Greenpeace International and Greenpeace organisations in the US announce they will seek a new trial and, if necessary, appeal the decision with the North Dakota Supreme Court following a North Dakota District Court judgment today awarding Energy Transfer (ET) USD $345 million.
ET’s SLAPP suit remains a blatant attempt to silence free speech, erase Indigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Greenpeace International will also continue to seek damages for ET’s bullying lawsuits under EU anti-SLAPP legislation in the Netherlands.
Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International Executive Director said: “Energy Transfer’s attempts to silence us are failing. Greenpeace International will continue to resist intimidation tactics. We will not be silenced. We will only get louder, joining our voices to those of our allies all around the world against the corporate polluters and billionaire oligarchs who prioritise profits over people and the planet.
“With hard-won freedoms under threat and the climate crisis accelerating, the stakes of this legal fight couldn’t be higher. Through appeals in the US and Greenpeace International’s groundbreaking anti-SLAPP case in the Netherlands, we are exploring every option to hold Energy Transfer accountable for multiple abusive lawsuits and show all power-hungry bullies that their attacks will only result in a stronger people-powered movement.”
The Court’s final judgment today rejects some of the jury verdict delivered in March 2025, but still awards hundreds of millions of dollars to ET without a sound basis in law. The Greenpeace defendants will continue to press their arguments that the US Constitution does not allow liability here, that ET did not present evidence to support its claims, that the Court admitted inflammatory and irrelevant evidence at trial and excluded other evidence supporting the defense, and that the jury pool in Mandan could not be impartial.[1][2]
ET’s back-to-back lawsuits against Greenpeace International and the US organisations Greenpeace USA (Greenpeace Inc.) and Greenpeace Fund are clear-cut examples of SLAPPs — lawsuits attempting to bury nonprofits and activists in legal fees, push them towards bankruptcy and ultimately silence dissent.[3] Greenpeace International, which is based in the Netherlands, is pursuing justice in Europe, with a suit against ET under Dutch law and the European Union’s new anti-SLAPP directive, a landmark test of the new legislation which could help set a powerful precedent against corporate bullying.[4]
Kate Smolski, Program Director at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “This is part of a worrying trend globally: fossil fuel corporations are increasingly using litigation to attack and silence ordinary people and groups using the law to challenge their polluting operations — and we’re not immune to these tactics here in Australia.
“Rulings like this have a chilling effect on democracy and public interest litigation — we must unite against these silencing tactics as bad for Australians and bad for our democracy. Our movement is stronger than any corporate bully, and grows even stronger when under attack.”
Energy Transfer’s SLAPPs are part of a wave of abusive lawsuits filed by Big Oil companies like Shell, Total, and ENI against Greenpeace entities in recent years.[3] A couple of these cases have been successfully stopped in their tracks. This includes Greenpeace France successfully defeating TotalEnergies’ SLAPP on 28 March 2024, and Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International forcing Shell to back down from its SLAPP on 10 December 2024.
-ENDS-
Images available in Greenpeace Media Library
Notes:
[1] The judgment entered by North Dakota District Court Judge Gion follows a jury verdict finding Greenpeace entities liable for more than US$660 million on March 19, 2025. Judge Gion subsequently threw out several items from the jury’s verdict, reducing the total damages to approximately US$345 million.
[2] Public statements from the independent Trial Monitoring Committee
[3] Energy Transfer’s first lawsuit was filed in federal court in 2017 under the RICO Act – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a US federal statute designed to prosecute mob activity. The case was dismissed in 2019, with the judge stating the evidence fell “far short” of what was needed to establish a RICO enterprise. The federal court did not decide on Energy Transfer’s claims based on state law, so Energy Transfer promptly filed a new case in a North Dakota state court with these and other state law claims.
[4] Greenpeace International sent a Notice of Liability to Energy Transfer on 23 July 2024, informing the pipeline giant of Greenpeace International’s intention to bring an anti-SLAPP lawsuit against the company in a Dutch Court. After Energy Transfer declined to accept liability on multiple occasions (September 2024, December 2024), Greenpeace International initiated the first test of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive on 11 February 2025 by filing a lawsuit in Dutch court against Energy Transfer. The case was officially registered in the docket of the Court of Amsterdam on 2 July, 2025. Greenpeace International seeks to recover all damages and costs it has suffered as a result of Energy Transfers’s back-to-back, abusive lawsuits demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace organisations in the US. The next hearing in the Court of Amsterdam is scheduled for 16 April, 2026.
Media contact:
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
The Trump administration’s relentless rollback of public health and environmental protections has allowed widespread toxic exposures to flourish, warn experts who helped implement safeguards now under assault.
In a new report that outlines a dozen high-risk pollutants given new life thanks to weakened, delayed or rescinded regulations, the Environmental Protection Network, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of hundreds of former Environmental Protection Agency staff, warns that the EPA under President Donald Trump has abandoned the agency’s core mission of protecting people and the environment from preventable toxic exposures.
Former EPA Staff Detail Expanding Pollution Risks Under Trump
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Greenpeace organisations to appeal USD $345 million court judgment in Energy Transfer’s intimidation lawsuit
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