WEST Australian Premier Alan Carpenter has rejected accusations of a cover up regarding the Varanus Island pipeline explosion.
The state’s opposition has obtained documents which allege the Department of Industry and Resources did not follow regulations when issuing the pipeline licence to Apache Energy.
The documents are said to raise concerns that the pipeline did not meet the standards as stipulated by the license.
The Deputy Premier claims the insurance broker Lloyd Register Group had declared the pipeline would be ‘fit for purpose for 21 years’ in a report.
However, Lloyds says it had only made a ‘paper-based evaluation’ of the operation. It had not conducted a full inspection of the facility.
Carpenter has denied the accusations and claims the opposition is trying to turn the matter into a political issue as part of their election campaign.
The Premier says the government does not want to compromise the investigation being carried out by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA).
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