WA Labor conference met with protests against fracking and AUKUS agreement

ABC NEWS (Australia)

WA Labor's first State Conference, since entering their third term of government, is underway, setting the stage for the party's policy platform. The start of the conference was met with protests over the AUKUS agreement, and calls to ban the controversial mining method, fracking. Late today, WA Labor party members voted to extend the ban on fracking to cover the entire state, the technique is permitted in parts of the Kimberley and Mid-West.

Transcript

00:00Improving access to WA's embattled health care system, addressing the housing crisis

00:08and diversifying the economy, these are the priorities WA Labor says underpins its government.

00:14And a fourth term for this premier's incredible state government will be so much harder than

00:20asking for a second or even a third.

00:23The work starts now?

00:24No.

00:25The work has already begun.

00:28Outside, protesters called for action on different issues, notably to stop the development

00:33of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program and to completely outlaw hydraulic fracturing or

00:39fracking, a method used to extract gas from the ground.

00:43Fracking is banned in the south-west, Perth and Peel, and we want it extended to ban fracking

00:49in the Kimberley.

00:50We just want to keep it safe, you know, we want to keep it clean, we want to keep it fresh

00:54for us and also the next generation.

00:57Support from lay party members still requires action from the Parliamentary Party, led by

01:03the Premier Roger Cook, to turn policy into legislation.

01:0798% of Western Australia is currently not eligible for fracking.

01:13So in Western Australia we already have incredibly stringent arrangements in relation to that sort

01:18of resource.

01:19Top shit waste!

01:20Keep it up!

01:21Environmental groups threatening to make the prospect of a fourth Labour term difficult if

01:27it doesn't act on their concerns.

01:29We're going to be working really hard to make sure that people understand what the threat

01:34is to the Kimberley and we believe that's going to be a major problem for Labour.

01:38The Premier's state conference continues tomorrow.

01:39The Premier's state conference continues tomorrow.

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