The Week in the West: Gas industry holds annual orgy of misinformation, and Roger Cook says 'No' to Voice

This week, The Last Place on Earth was busy working on some longer-form pieces coming your way soon, but we did file two updates on developments and tensions at the Curtin University pro-Palestine encampment:

Student protesters angry after Curtin’s deal with Guild, vow to continue Gaza encampment

The Guild says Memorandum of Understanding signed with Curtin University is a ‘win’.

The Last Place on EarthGerard Mazza

Pro-Palestinian camp divided: Curtin Guild condemns fellow student protesters for occupying building

Protesters have faced anger from other students as they escalate in response to horrors in Gaza.

The Last Place on EarthGerard Mazza

Here's a look at what else caught our eye this week:

Gas industry gases up gas

The annual conference for the Australian Energy Producers (AEP), formerly the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), was held in Perth.

On Monday, according to The West Australian, AEP Chair and Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill called for "truth" in an "energy and climate conversation" that "must be based on the science of climate change". We wonder if that means Woodside will finally be taking seriously the conclusions of that CSIRO research it commissioned and then tried to bury. Probably not, given O'Neill also used her address to call for the government to boost gas supply by cutting regulation on offshore projects.

Peter Dutton was at the conference on Tuesday to make clear he'd be more than willing to answer that call. According to the Financial Review, he did have one fairly astute point concerning Labor's internal division over the Future Gas Strategy: "The problem with walking both sides of the street of saying something in the west and something different in the east, is it can always be reconciled."

On Thursday, the Premier was so eager to please he delivered some spin of Trumpian proportions. The headline in The Australian: ''Growing our emissions key to saving planet', says WA Premier Cook'.

Konrad Benjamin of Punter's Politics bought a ticket and tried to attend the conference to find out what the gas industry and politicians say to each other behind closed doors. It didn't go so well for him:

Meanwhile, over at the ABC, state political reporter Rhiannon Shine asks: 'What hope does Australia have at reaching net zero without WA dramatically upping its game?'

Bus driver fired after boy dragged along road

Channel 9 broke a disturbing story this week: A 12-year-old Aboriginal boy suffered broken bones and other injuries after being trapped in a Transperth bus door and dragged down the road for 300 metres. Police are investigating, and the driver has been stood down.

Voice off the boil for Cook's Labor

Roger Cook says WA won't be following South Australia's lead and creating a state-level Indigenous Voice to Parliament, according to WAToday. The reason? "I think the nature of our society nowadays is such that we won’t see these big, grand social projects or social gestures," he said. Noongar leader Megan Krakouer told WAToday it was a cop-out. Cook said the way forward was smaller-scale community initiatives, like the recent Murujuga Strategic Agreement made between government, industry, and some Traditional Owners. That's the same agreement Murujuga custodian Raelene Cooper said in March the state government should be ashamed of because it won't protect her country.

Knives out, police powers in

There may not be room in WA for grand social projects, but there's always room to expand police powers. Our state is getting Australia's toughest knife laws, as reported by the ABC. Police will be able to scan people in public places for knives, even if they're not suspected of carrying a weapon. Critics say the proposed laws could lead to racial profiling.