Climate Lobbying Overview: Woodside appears to be actively engaging with climate change policy and seems to be taking a generally oppositional position to progressive policies. Although its top-line messaging has suggested some support for drastic action on climate change, it has shown mixed support for ambitious government policy to achieve this. It appears to not support many specific examples of climate change policy and seems to broadly support the maintenance of high GHG energy mix, in particular appearing to strongly support a major role for gas in the energy mix in the long-term.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: As of November 2020, Woodside Energy appears to support the Paris Agreement, in addition to stating support for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. However, Woodside’s support for the need for government policy to reach this target appears to have significant caveats. For example, in a submission to the Climate Change Authority in October 2019, Woodside appeared to only support policy that did not impact on Australia’s international competitiveness and in October 2018, Woodside appeared to oppose any climate policy at the state level, stating “jurisdiction should be held at the highest level of a country's system of government”.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Woodside appears to have either not supported several different aspects of Australian climate policy or supported with significant exceptions. For example, although in comments from October 2019, Woodside appears to support allowing the Renewable Energy Target to continue until 2030 as legislated, it is unclear whether Woodside supports alternative policies to ensure continued support for renewables and it also appears that Woodside supports compensation or exemption for trade-exposed industries affected by the RET. Similarly in May 2018, Woodside appears to have advocated for increased support for EITE industries under the Safeguard Mechanism by using less ambitious baselines for emissions.

In March 2019, Woodside’s CEO appeared to strongly oppose proposals by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority that would require large facilities to offset GHG emissions. In August 2020, Woodside appeared to oppose the inclusion of Scope 3 emissions in consideration during regulatory assessments under Australia’s federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Although Woodside appears to be supporting emissions trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, this appears to include support for trading of international credits without clear limits on their use, which may weaken overall climate ambition.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Woodside’s public statements suggest mixed support for the transition of the energy mix. Woodside has consistently appeared to support a major role for natural gas in the energy mix in the long-term, describing it in October 2020 as a “natural partner to renewables”. While Woodside also appears to support the role of renewables in the future energy mix, it has also stressed intermittency risks (e.g. in a submission to the Western Australian Government in November 2019) and in February 2020 Woodside CEO Peter Coleman stated that “natural gas is essential to the global energy transition in the decades ahead”. However, in its submission to the Inquiry on Electric Vehicles in July 2018, the company suggested that the Australian government make a commitment to zero-emission fleets and set similar targets for public transport. Additionally, CEO Peter Coleman has also publicly stressed the need to act in line with the 2018 IPCC recommendations.

Industry Association Governance: Woodside has disclosed a list of its direct memberships to industry associations in a dedicated report from October 2020. This report contained a full disclosure of its alignment with its industry associations and identified misalignment with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) due to “insufficient explicit or implicit endorsement of the Paris Agreement goals and commitments and net zero by 2050”. As a result of this misalignment, Woodside chose to discontinue their membership of CAPP. However, Woodside maintains links to several other industry associations that appear to be lobbying negatively on climate policy. Senior Woodside executives are present on the boards of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association and the Business Council of Australia, two industrial organizations which have traditionally both lobbied negatively on progressive climate policy in Australia.