Energy company has bad attitude: WA Labor

Apache Energy’s refusal to take responsibility for a huge gas plant explosion off Western Australia points to a bad safety culture that may cause more disasters, the state opposition warns.

A long-awaited WA government report into the 2008 catastrophe was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

The report contradicted Apache’s claims, saying the risk of a pipeline explosion was “not only foreseeable but to some extent foreseen” by the company.

But Apache continues to insist it had reasonable grounds to believe the pipeline that ruptured was in “good repair”.

Opposition spokesman for mines and petroleum Jon Ford said the report showed Apache clearly failed to understand its responsibilities.

“I’m disappointed that Apache refuses to accept responsibility for what it’s done,” Mr Ford told reporters in Perth on Thursday.

“That tells me there is a real risk in their attitude of a culture existing that will make sure these sorts of incidents occur in the future.

“I was shocked to see that just prior to the explosion, (Apache) had their licence renewed for 21 years to operate that pipeline when there were clear indications that there were problems in the maintenance of that line.”

Mr Ford said full-page ads taken out by Apache had misrepresented what had actually occurred and its litigation meant Western Australians had to wait several years to find out what had happened.

The WA Supreme Court in late 2009 overturned legal action by Apache to block the release of the report to Mines Minister Norman Moore, but he was legally bound to not comment on its contents until now.

Mr Ford said the report pointed to a systematic regulatory failure.

He accepted the initial recommendation of the report for a single regulatory body with the power to investigate and force regulation in the oil and gas industry.

Mr Ford also accepted WA Labor had some responsibility for the disaster because it occurred on the party’s watch.

Other gas sector disasters had occurred since, he noted, including a 74-day oil spill from the Thai-operated Montara platform in the Timor Sea in 2009.

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