Federal Court approves UN Special Rapporteur’s extraordinary application to join landmark legal challenge to Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension

An unprecedented application by a United Nations Special Rapporteur to join a landmark legal challenge against Woodside’s North West Shelf extension has been approved by a Federal Court judge, in spite of submissions from Woodside objecting to the application.

Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA) launched a Federal Court challenge in October last year against Woodside’s North West Shelf extension in a further bid to prevent ongoing damage to the Murujuga rock art and other cultural heritage values at Murujuga, to run concurrently with FARA’s ongoing WA Supreme Court challenge to the North West Shelf state approval.

In November last year, UN Special Rapporteur Astrid Puentes Riano applied to join the case as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to help inform the court about the implications of this case for Australia’s international law obligations with respect to human rights and the environment, in particular the implications of an Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on transboundary climate harms.

The case is due to be heard in the Federal Court in Melbourne on 21-24 July 2026. FARA is represented in this matter by Johnson Legal.

The following statement is attributable to Susan Swain, a co-convenor of Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA):

“We always felt that this case was internationally significant for a number of reasons so we are pleased that the Amicus intervention by the UN Special Rapporteur has been allowed by the court.

“The orders confirm that the case is globally significant, and that international law may be relevant to the Commonwealth Minister’s responsibilities when making a decision under the EPBC Act. 

“FARA did not oppose the intervention because we agree that the Special Rapporteur can bring some important information about the application of international law to this case which the applicants do not have direct knowledge of. 

“FARA is pleased that the Court has allowed the submission from the Special Rapporteur to be heard in its case, over the objections of Woodside."