The party said it will permanently ban CSG activity in the Pilliga East State Forest, Bibblewindi State Forest, Jacks Creek State Forest and the Pilliga East State Conservation Area from CSG if it wins government at the March 28 election.
The Narrabri project’s permits are within and next to Pilliga Forest with Labor proposing a catch-22 situation to prevent further project development.
“NSW Labor will not cancel any exploration or assessment licences,” the party said.
“However, consistent with Labor’s CSG plan for the state it will not permit the current exploration or assessment licences to convert to production licences in the Pilliga forests and it will not renew the current licences when they expire.”
This policy contrasts with the Baird Government’s stance, as it has previously demonstrated support for the Narrabri CSG project.
“Communities in our state’s northwest have made their opposition to coal seam gas in the Pilliga clear,” Opposition Leader Luke Foley said.
“The risks CSG poses to the natural assets of the Pilliga, particularly the underground water storages, are unacceptable.
“Labor believes in a prosperous future for NSW and one where we consider the health of our communities and our environment.”
As part of its response Santos referred to the work of the state’s chief scientist Mary O’Kane, who found that CSG carried no more risk than any other extractive activity following an 18 month review of the CSG industry.
Santos also said the Narrabri project would not take water from the Great Artesian Basin and it would not affect the recharge of it either.
“The part of the Pilliga, in which our Narrabri Gas Project is located, was set aside by the NSW government for forestry and extractive industries following a thorough ecological assessment,” Santos said.
“Our project area is largely dry scrub land in the State Forest and is outside the sections of the Pilliga protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Government mapping found our project area does not include Strategic Agricultural Land and where we do seek to work on private land, we will only do so with landholder consent.
“Our operations will be located on about 1000 hectares – far less than 1% of the Pilliga – and from that relatively small area we can provide up to half of NSW’s natural gas needs.”
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association also said Labor’s plan to stop the project would forgo the creation of 1400 jobs, royalties and significant income for farmers.
“Plagiarising the policies of the NSW Greens will not deliver an affordable natural gas supply for 1.3 million commercial and domestic gas users,” APPEA acting CEO Paul Fennelly said.
“The continued politicisation of the state’s gas supply by the ALP sends a very loud message to anyone wanting to invest in NSW and an even louder message to the people of regional NSW wanting to grow their economies and support small businesses.”
While the Queensland election result took many by surprise, recent polls indicate the Coalition government is comfortably on track to win the NSW election.
