Rainnie, A. (2025). WA can’t wait: Build a decommissioning hub for our environment, jobs and a green energy future. Greenpeace Australia Pacific, UnionsWA, Conservation Council WA, Maritime Union of Australia (WA Branch), The Wilderness Society; Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (WA Branch), Electrical Trades Union (WA Branch)
WA Can’t Wait brings together unions, environmental organisations and researchers to show why Western Australia sits at the centre of Australia’s offshore decommissioning challenge and opportunity.
The report sets out the scale of ageing oil and gas infrastructure off WA’s coast, the environmental and financial risks of delay, and what happens when companies avoid or defer their clean‑up responsibilities.
It argues that without strong enforcement, fit‑for‑purpose facilities and clear industry accountability, decommissioning work will continue to be delayed, exported offshore or fall back onto the public.
At the same time, it makes the case that building a large‑scale decommissioning hub in WA could deliver thousands of secure local jobs, protect marine environments and support a circular economy linked to green steel and renewable energy, with workers and unions involved from the outset.