browse community update (november 2012)

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Browse LNG COMMUNITY November 2012 One of the key surveys undertaken by Woodside recently was a further study of dinosaur footprints in the vicinity of the proposed Browse LNG Development. In accordance with the draft approval conditions recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in July this year, a leading palaeontologist was commissioned to survey, identify and record the location, type and condition of any dinosaur footprints that may exist within areas earmarked for Woodside’s proposed port facilities and pipeline corridor. The survey, completed in October, was led by one of the world’s top experts on dinosaur footprints, Richard McCrea, Curator of the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre in Canada. Mr McCrea had previously studied the area in October 2011 at the request of the EPA, with another leading palaeontologist Dr Martin Lockley, Professor of Geology at the University of Colorado. As a result of these two expert surveys, we are confident that the construction of our development at the southern end of the State Government’s LNG precinct will not impact on the identified dinosaur trackways in the vicinity of James Price Point. Experts study dinosaur footprints Providing local businesses with the tools to successfully do business with the resources sector was the focus of a program hosted by the Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry between August and November 2012. Dubbed Master Classes, the evening information sessions covered topics like demonstrating health and safety in pre- qualification tendering, managing quality control, finance and insurance, and attracting and retaining staff. Interested small business people also heard how procurement processes on major projects work and how to negotiate contracts successfully. Experts were brought in to share knowledge and the classes were matched to the needs of the attendees, taking into account that some businesses had different levels of maturity. The classes also provided a networking opportunity for businesses to discuss the potential for jointly tendering on projects. With the level of resources activity in the region steadily increasing, it’s important that local businesses have every chance to participate in the sector. Woodside was pleased to support the program. As part of the commitment to involve as many Australian, Western Australian and Indigenous businesses as possible, Woodside completed an Australian Industry Participation Plan for the proposed Browse LNG Development. This plan was submitted to the Commonwealth Government in April this year. The plan provides a clear breakdown of the key goods and services to be sourced for the project and identifies specific items where possible. Master class for Broome business Western Australian Environment Minister Bill Marmion has approved the WA Government’s proposed Browse LNG Precinct. As the potential foundation proponent for the Precinct, Woodside is currently progressing plans to build and operate an LNG processing facility and associated infrastructure within the Precinct. In granting approval for the Precinct, the Minister has set a number of strict conditions in order for any development to proceed. We now look forward to the Commonwealth Environment Minister considering all the information before making his final decision on the Precinct. Woodside will also need to seek further environmental approval from the State and Commonwealth to construct and operate the LNG processing facilities within the Precinct. Precinct approved Palaeontologist Richard McCrea (centre) and his team survey rocks in the vicinity of James Price Point.

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Page 1: Browse Community Update (November 2012)

Bro

wse

LN

G C O M M U N I T Y

November 2012

One of the key surveys undertaken by Woodside recently was a further study of dinosaur footprints in the vicinity of the proposed Browse LNG Development.

In accordance with the draft approval conditions recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in July this year, a leading palaeontologist was commissioned to survey, identify and

record the location, type and condition of any dinosaur footprints that may exist within areas earmarked for Woodside’s proposed port facilities and pipeline corridor.

The survey, completed in October, was led by one of the world’s top experts on dinosaur footprints, Richard McCrea, Curator of the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre in Canada. Mr McCrea had previously studied the area in October 2011 at the request of the EPA, with another leading palaeontologist Dr Martin Lockley, Professor of Geology at the University of Colorado.

As a result of these two expert surveys, we are confident that the construction of our development at the southern end of the State Government’s LNG precinct will not impact on the identified dinosaur trackways in the vicinity of James Price Point.

Experts study dinosaur footprints

Providing local businesses with the tools to successfully do business with the resources sector was the focus of a program hosted by the Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry between August and November 2012.

Dubbed Master Classes, the evening information sessions covered topics like demonstrating health and safety in pre-qualification tendering, managing quality control, finance and insurance, and attracting and retaining staff.

Interested small business people also heard how procurement processes on major projects work and how to negotiate contracts successfully.

Experts were brought in to share knowledge and the classes were matched to the needs of the attendees, taking into account that some businesses had different levels of maturity.

The classes also provided a networking opportunity for businesses to discuss the potential for jointly tendering on projects.

With the level of resources activity in the region steadily increasing, it’s important that local businesses have every chance to participate in the sector. Woodside was pleased to support the program.

As part of the commitment to involve as many Australian, Western Australian and Indigenous businesses as possible, Woodside completed an Australian Industry Participation Plan for the proposed Browse LNG Development. This plan was submitted to the Commonwealth Government in April this year.

The plan provides a clear breakdown of the key goods and services to be sourced for the project and identifies specific items where possible.

Master class for Broome businessWestern Australian Environment Minister Bill Marmion has approved the WA Government’s proposed Browse LNG Precinct.

As the potential foundation proponent for the Precinct, Woodside is currently progressing plans to build and operate an LNG processing facility and associated infrastructure within the Precinct.

In granting approval for the Precinct, the Minister has set a number of strict conditions in order for any development to proceed.

We now look forward to the Commonwealth Environment Minister considering all the information before making his final decision on the Precinct.

Woodside will also need to seek further environmental approval from the State and Commonwealth to construct and operate the LNG processing facilities within the Precinct.

Precinct approved

Palaeontologist Richard McCrea (centre) and his team survey rocks in the vicinity of James Price Point.

Page 2: Browse Community Update (November 2012)

Frequently asked questionsIs the work on Manari Road being done to give Woodside access to James Price Point during the wet season?

By mutual agreement, the Shire of Broome is undertaking a works program funded by Woodside to rectify and improve drainage on three sections of the road north of the Barred Creek turnoff.

This work is a condition of the planning approval for Woodside’s site investigation activities within the proposed Browse LNG Precinct.

This project was unanimously endorsed by Council. All traffic access and road closure issues are, and will continue to be, managed by the Shire.

Will dinosaur footprints be impacted by the construction of the port facilities for the proposed Browse LNG Development?

Expert studies to date show that there are dinosaur footprints and trackways of varying quality at a series of separate locations along the 200km stretch of the Dampier Peninsula.

Two of the world’s leading palaeontologists have surveyed the intertidal area of the proposed Browse LNG Precinct and found no significant dinosaur trackways within Woodside’s proposed port or pipeline crossing areas.

The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended an area to the north of the precinct, close to James Price Point, be excluded from development where some significant trackways have been identified.

We are confident that our development at the southern end of the precinct will not impact on the identified dinosaur trackways in the vicinity of James Price Point.

Does Woodside have permission from Traditional Owners to conduct its work within the proposed Browse LNG Precinct area?

Woodside has obtained the relevant consents and approvals for our work program to date. We also work closely with senior Traditional Owners to identify and carefully manage Aboriginal culture and heritage, and conduct our activities under the supervision of Traditional Owner monitors.

Comprehensive ethnographic and archaeological surveys conducted by senior Traditional Owners have been done to identify the location and nature of Aboriginal heritage sites within the precinct and we have avoided these sites during our work program.

Woodside is currently seeking Ministerial consent to conduct future survey activities in areas known to contain Aboriginal heritage.

What was the point of Woodside’s recent testing of the Broome Aquifer?

Our testing was to determine whether or not it would be sustainable to draw water from the Broome Aquifer for the construction requirements of the proposed Browse LNG Development.

Our assessment involved drilling bore holes then monitoring the water quality, draw down and recharge rates of the aquifer. About 7.5 million litres of water was extracted then reinjected through filters into the aquifer and our preliminary results show an abundance of high quality fresh water.

The data will support an application to the Department of Water for a licence to use water from the aquifer during construction. If groundwater resources are deemed unviable, a temporary desalination plant may be used to supply our water needs. It is anticipated that a permanent desalination facility, powered by natural gas and drawing water from the sea, would be used during the operations phase of the development.

To coincide with National Literacy Week in August, Woodside and Magabala Books jointly launched the new Deadly Reads series at the Sacred Heart School in Beagle Bay, north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula.

Launched in 1987, Magabala Books is a not-for-profit Indigenous publishing house, based in Broome that aims to promote, preserve and publish Indigenous Australian culture. In a first-of its-kind, Magabala has created a literacy tool for Indigenous students that is written and illustrated by Aboriginal Australians.

The first instalment of the Deadly Reads Series is called Saltwater, and consists of four books suitable for pre-primary children. They were released in October and sold online at www.magabala.com and educational bookshops around the State.

Literacy a Deadly Read

(L-R) George Councillor, Dub Leffler (illustrator of the Deadly Reads Series), Nola Turner-Jensen (author) and Milly Councillor.

Page 3: Browse Community Update (November 2012)

Almost 100 Indigenous people are now either directly employed by Woodside or undertaking traineeships with host companies under the Browse Indigenous Employment and Training Strategy.

One of the successes has been the Marine Trainee program which has been running since 2010 and has already seen a number of trainees graduate and secure full-time work.

Five trainees, all from the Kimberley, recently earned a Certificate III Integrated Rating qualification which enables them to work as crew on any ship in the world.

The course comprises 15 weeks at Challenger TAFE in Fremantle and 36 weeks of actual sea time with Farstad Shipping, one of the world’s leading shipping companies.

Now employed as full-time deck hands with Farstad, the five trainees are qualified to assist with a variety of roles including berthing and unberthing, securing cargo, steering the ship under supervision and splicing ropes and wires.

Three Logistics trainees have received their Certificate II in Warehousing Operations and have also gained full time employment with host employer Toll Mermaid in Broome.

The 12-month course consists of on-the-job training, seven weeks at TAFE and hands on experience in a warehouse at the King Bay Supply Base at Karratha. Almost 20 local (WA and Kimberley) businesses are involved in the traineeship program.

Woodside, as operator of the Browse Joint Venture, provides funding for a range of traineeships and apprenticeships for Kimberley Indigenous people under its Indigenous Employment and Training Strategy.

The strategy aims to provide training and long-term career opportunities for young Indigenous people in the Kimberley.

One of the Browse Joint Venture Partnership's social investment partners, the Yiriman Project, has been recognised in this year’s Reconciliation Australia awards announced in October.

The Yiriman Project received the Indigenous Governance Award as an outstanding example of Indigenous governance in a non-incorporated initiative or project.

The concept for the Yiriman Project arose out of the concern Kimberley elders had for their young people, who were facing increasingly serious issues such as self-harm, substance abuse and the loss of cultural identity. Believing in the power of their own culture and of Country to heal their young people, the elders began taking young people out on to Country.

The project, which is designed and run by Aboriginal elders, involves teaching and speaking in language, visiting ancestral sites, storytelling, engaging in traditional song and dance, preparing young people for ceremony and law practices, teaching traditional crafts, tracking, hunting, and preparing traditional bush tucker, practicing bush medicine, and passing on knowledge to the younger generations.

Nyikina man and respected Kimberley elder William Watson says Yiriman trips provide a safe and effective space for relationships to others and to Country to develop, and for communication and decision making to occur by cultural means.

"When you on Country, you walk with a spring in your step, you walk with your head high, you’re not afraid of anything. In order to find yourself you have to get lost. So the best place to get lost is Country. In this way cultural healing occurs,” Mr Watson said.

Indigenous Governance Award Chair Professor Mick Dodson, who visited the Yiriman Project in August, said the Yiriman Project was addressing a vital community need in an innovative, well-structured and cost-effective manner.

“They have clear and effective ownership by the elders with strong cultural underpinning. It’s a model that could be replicated in other parts of the Kimberley and the country at large,” Professor Dodson said.

The Indigenous Governance Awards were created in 2005 by Reconciliation Australia to identify, celebrate and promote strong leadership and effective governance.

The national awards recognise and promote effective, innovative, courageous and creative leadership and decision-making that show Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people determining and driving real change. An independent judging panel visited each of the finalists throughout August and September, assessing them against five criteria including self-determination, cultural relevance, legitimacy, future planning and governance resilience.

The Browse Joint Venture Partnership has been sponsoring the Yiriman Project since 2011.

Indigenous trainee program proving a success

(L-R) Logistics graduates Wayne Bennell and David Councillor checking a delivery at the Toll Mermaid yard in Broome.

Reconciliation Award for Yiriman Project

The Yiriman Project elders. Picture courtesy of Wayne Quilliam

Page 4: Browse Community Update (November 2012)

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Further informationfor further information please contact Woodside Energy Ltd

t: 1800 036 654 e: [email protected] or call into our office at 29 Coghlan Street, Broome

Proudly Printed in Broome on recycled paper

Barramundi boost for local fishers

The Royal Flying Doctor Service’s On the Road team recently visited communities on the Dampier Peninsula.

The Woodside-sponsored On the Road program involves health promotion staff travelling to remote Kimberley locations to conduct free health education, disease screening and practical first aid training for people who are isolated from mainstream health services.

The crew have clocked up several thousands of kilometres throughout the Kimberley and Dampier Peninsula in the past few months.

Earlier this year, the program teamed up with the Lions Cancer Institute and travelled the Kimberley conducting free skin cancer checks for locals.

The team screened almost 2000 people resulting in the referral of 351 patients to their GP for further checks of suspected skin lesions.

Almost half of the people who attend the checking stations had never been screened for skin cancer lesions previously.

The Kimberley Training Institute has released 1000 tagged barramundi into Dampier Creek as part of their barramundi restocking project, supported by the Browse Joint Venture Partnership.

The aim of the project is to enhance the recreational fishing experience associated with fishing in Broome, as well as to discover information on the movement, growth, abundance and survival of barramundi in the local system.

To date, 43 of the iconic fish have been recaptured in the first nine weeks of the program.

Anglers fortunate enough to catch one of the tagged fish, should contact the Broome Aquaculture Centre with details of the barramundi’s length/weight, the general location, date of capture and the tag number.

The Broome Fishing Club is also offering rewards for tag returns, so keep your eye out for the tag on the next barramundi you catch.

RFDS on the road to promote health

Tagged barramundi waiting to be released.

Kimberley Training Institute student releases a tagged barra into Dampier Creek.

About 80 people representing local businesses and organisations in the West Kimberley attended the inaugural Safety Marketplace.

The day was hosted by the Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry with support from Woodside, Horizon Power, the Broome Port Authority and the Master Builders Association.

The theme of the Marketplace was “Protect yourself, protect your business.”

Guest speaker Anton Guinea gave delegates an insight into his own workplace safety experience, describing how he was seriously injured through an electrocution incident and the recovery process that followed.

A market place for safety

On the Road team member Sandy Slee helping with a first aid training session with children at Djarindjin Lombadina School.

Safety Marketplace keynote speaker Anton Guinea (second from right) is joined by event partners Maryanne Petersen from the Broome Chamber of Commerce, Craig Wilson from Horizon Power, Rob Wilkinson of Broome Port Authority and Greg Paten from Woodside.