His comments come in the wake of Australia's biggest export deal; a $50billion 20-year agreement between a Chevron-led joint venture and PetroChina for gas from the Gorgon development off the West Australian coast.

Both major parties were claiming credit for the deal yesterday, but the project still requires approval from Environment Minister Peter Garrett by September 8 because it involves development on Barrow Island, home to several endangered species.

Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner predicted the project would go ahead ''notwithstanding the remaining hurdles'', prompting Greens senator Rachel Siewart to say Mr Garrett had been reduced ''to the status of a rubber stamp''.

''The message to us seems clear threatened species will not be allowed to get in the way of development under Rudd, and environmental conditions are nothing more than a means of green-washing projects destined to go ahead regardless of their environmental impacts,'' she said.

Mr Rudd said the deal brought the Gorgon project to the ''verge of reality''.

''Gorgon would be the largest resources project ever undertaken in Australia. It would create an estimated 6000 jobs during its peak construction and an estimated 3500 jobs during the operational life of the project. It would boost WA gross state product by 4per cent,'' he said.

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