The Minns Labor Government teamed up with the Liberals and Nationals on Wednesday 14 August to vote down Jeremy Buckingham’s Bill to protect the prime agricultural land of the Liverpool Plains from coal seam gas.
This Bill was first introduced to the upper house of parliament in September 2023. Jeremy Buckingham’s speech introducing the Bill is recommended reading for those who have not been following the Narrabri Gas saga.
Currently Santos’ gas infrastructure includes around 40 coal seam gas wells, pipelines, vents, compressors, flares, two large water treatment plants at Bibblewindi in the Pilliga State Forest, and another at Leewood, which along with the Wilga Park gas power station is on private land. Santos has approval to build 850 new gas wells, but construction of gas infrastructure cannot commence until pipelines are approved to transport gas to the east coast.
Representatives of Gomeroi Traditional Owners, NSW Farmers Association, Country Women’s Association, Knitting Nannas, and the communities of the North-West were in the gallery and at times had to be told to be quiet and not to clap.
Minister for Natural Resources, Courtney Houssos had visited the Liverpool Plains in April 2024 and said she had listened to the community’s concern but as she “told members of the community on the day, Labor does not oppose the Narrabri Gas Project. We acknowledge that the Labor Party has taken a different stance at previous elections, but now that the project has gone through the independent planning process, we accept that it will go ahead—although, that is ultimately a decision for the company—with appropriate safety and environmental conditions.”
The Bill in front of the Minister was not to stop the Narrabri Gas Project but to stop approving exploration on the Liverpool Plains.
Sarah Mitchell Shadow Minister for Western NSW, who grew up in Gunnedah spoke on behalf of the Opposition, and said the Gunnedah and Narrabri communities are used to living with the operation of both agriculture and mining.
Coal mining companies in Gunnedah and Narrabri purchase the land, dig up coal and destroy the environment. Meanwhile farmers are expected to operate their business around gas wells and other infrastructure, not necessarily knowing who is coming onto their property or what they are doing there.
Home and farm insurance with Allianz, the biggest insurer in the world, will not cover legal liability as a result or caused by or arising from coal seam gas “including: fraccing, extraction, exploration, production, installation, removal or any other activities related to manufacture and/or distribution of coal seam gas at your insured address.”
Other insurance companies are currently only insuring farmers for a year and will not give any assurances for the future. What happens if they change their minds or if there is a catastrophic accident and Santos goes bust?
“The Opposition has concerns that if we restrict gas exploration and production, as the bill intends, it will undermine our State’s secure, stable and affordable energy supply. The exclusion zone would cover some of the most promising areas for gas development, which have the potential to contribute to our energy needs.”
What’s more important – gas production for 20 -30 years or food production for thousands of years?
NSW has always imported the bulk of its gas and the ever decreasing small amount of gas needed could be imported through Port Kembla. The gas reserves at Moomba and from Bass Strait have been depleted ahead of time. This gas has been exported by Santos because they overestimated the amount of gas they had in Queensland and because governments have not introduced a reservation policy. 82% of the gas produced in Australia is exported.
“The reality is that the local economy, particularly in Narrabri and Warrumbungle shire, is heavily dependent on resource development.”
Very little of the Liverpool Plains is in the Narrabri and Warrumbungle Shires. The Liverpool Plains is mostly in the Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains Shires.
Jeremy Buckingham in reply said, “I am deeply disappointed that the newish Labor Government has continued down the devastatingly stupid path of contemplating coal seam gas, unconventional gas and a toxic industry in the heart of our food bowl. It is deeply disappointing to me. I listened closely to the Minister’s contribution, and I feel I was treated with contempt. I just cannot imagine how the farmers of the Liverpool Plains, the people of the Gomeroi nation and the people across this State and country who have campaigned to protect the food bowl, the Pilliga and the Great Artesian Basin feel. I look down the camera and say to Santos, which is watching this, that there is no way over our dead bodies that it will turn our food bowl into a toxic wasteland like it has done in Roma and like gas companies have done all over the world.”
Next Steps
Native Title
The Gomeroi people appealed a decision by the National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT) to allow Santos to go ahead with the project without their consent. The federal court determined the NNTT erred at law by declining to have regard to evidence on climate impacts and ordered the case be sent back to the NNTT for a decision on climate grounds only. A decision is expected in March 2025.
Pipeline Licences
Santos needs to have not one but two pipeline licences before the Narrabri Gas Project can proceed and they need to have identified a 30m easement for the pipelines to have a valid application.
In 2022 Santos acquired the 413km Hunter Gas Pipeline (HGP), approved in 2009 but not built. The pipeline passes through the Liverpool Plains where Santos plans to expand their operation. Farms along the proposed route produce cattle, grains, vegetables and fruit.
Santos has employed aggressive and underhand tactics to obtain Voluntary Access Agreements from landholders along the route of the pipeline. Many landholders are refusing to engage with Santos.
Santos is supposedly preparing an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline to link Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga forest to the Hunter Gas Pipeline. Over 90 hectares of the Pilliga Forest will be cleared destroying biodiversity and the known access native species have to food, water and breeding. This pipeline will have to go through the full assessment process before a licence is granted.
Final Investment Decision
For at least ten years Santos has been putting off its final investment decision on the Narrabri Gas Project. They are currently saying they will decide in 2025!
Gas Demand
NSW’s demand for gas is falling. Households are switching from gas to all-electric because it is healthier, safer and cheaper. Gas firming power plants use very little gas as they are rarely needed, and they will use less gas as renewables come on line. The small amount of gas needed in NSW in the transition to renewables can be imported as required.
Narrabri Gas is expensive to extract and to pipe to the east coast market – it will not reduce electricity prices but increase them.
Qatar has a huge amount of gas that can be extracted cheaply and it is ramping up its production. The International Energy Agency is warning of a potential gas glut in 2025. (Energy, Oil & Gas Magazine)
Santos has many hurdles to cross before it can produce and transport gas to the east coast market. We won’t need it by then.
Opposition to Santos coal seam gas has been unprecedented in uniting Traditional Owners, farmers, scientists and thousands of people from country and city. And it will continue to do so, as Jeremy Buckingham said to the parliament on Wednesday “We’ve been fighting this insanity for more than a decade and we won’t stop until we’ve won.”
Watch this two minute video about damage to groundwater and global gas demand dropping.