Western Australia's Cook Government is facing mounting internal pressure after Labor Party members overwhelmingly endorsed a motion calling for a complete ban on fracking across the entire state.
Conference Vote Challenges Current Policy
During a State conference meeting held in Fremantle on Saturday, November 8, 2025, party members successfully passed a new clause inserted into the Labor Party's conservation, environment and climate change platform. This clause explicitly demands that fracking be banned throughout 100 per cent of Western Australia.
This significant move by the party's rank-and-file membership sends a clear signal to the Cook Government, which currently maintains a fracking ban covering 98 per cent of the state. The vote indicates strong internal dissent, despite reported opposition from the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and the Progressive Labor faction.
Industry and Environmental Clash
The debate highlights the ongoing tension between environmental concerns and energy security in Western Australia. Martin Pritchard, Executive Director of Environs Kimberley, welcomed the conference decision, stating the Cook Government must listen to its members and the majority of West Australians.
"The majority of West Australians don't want to see the Kimberley trashed so polluting, dangerous fracking can proceed," Mr Pritchard said on Saturday. He described the move as "powerful" and emphasized the threat fracking poses to the region's communities, rivers, and unique natural environment.
However, the energy industry has pushed back strongly against the proposed blanket ban. Richard Ellis, Australian Energy Producers WA Director, warned that such a move "is at odds with the science and could put the state's long-term energy security at risk".
Mr Ellis pointed to more than a dozen independent inquiries in Australia, including the 2018 Scientific Panel Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracture Stimulation in Western Australia, which he claims confirm that hydraulic fracturing is safe when properly regulated.
Political Reality and Next Steps
Despite the strong symbolic message from the party conference, any actual changes to Western Australia's fracking laws would need to be passed by the WA Parliament. Premier Roger Cook has consistently defended the government's existing fracking policies, describing them as "balanced and responsible" in recent statements.
The current policy permits fracking in limited parts of the Kimberley and Mid West regions, representing approximately two per cent of the state's land mass. The conference vote sets the stage for continued debate within the Labor Party and increased pressure on the government to reconsider its stance on the controversial extraction method.
