This pipeline will damage agricultural land and the Pilliga Forest and will open up the Pilliga for Santos’ 850 well Narrabri coal seam gasfield.
Impacts on Gomeroi cultural heritage:
• The whole of the Pilliga has deep spiritual, social, and cultural significance for Gomeroi people who have occupied the area for tens of thousands of years. The National Native Title Tribunal acknowledged that all water resources are of major cultural importance to Gomeroi people. However, Bohena Creek is particularly sacred to them. The Tribunal said that without Gomeroi consent there should be no ground or surface disturbance within 500 metres of Bohena Creek.
• Notwithstanding this Santos plans to drill the pipeline right under Bohena Creek and across six other major creeks. This will disturb the alluvial groundwater. The environmental impact statement does not acknowledge nor discuss the cultural significance of the entire Bohena Creek for Gomeroi people at all.
• In addition to despoiling the creeks mentioned above, construction of the pipeline will also destroy two known sites of significance and damage a further four. For the Gomeroi people the Pilliga’s integrity is central to their wellbeing and cultural practice and must be kept whole.
• Gomeroi cultural heritage would be irrecoverably damaged. After the destruction in the Juukan Gorge On 24 May 2020 there was hope that such desecration would not occur again, but it seems the lesson has not been learned.
Impacts on farm land and forest
• The plan has the pipeline crossing twelve farms. Almost half the land it will disturb is agricultural land while one fifth of the land to be disturbed is cropping land. The other half of the pipeline will cut through the Pilliga forest.
• Construction will clear 168 hectares of forest, cutting a 30-metre-wide swathe through the Pilliga East forest. This will cause acute damage to the habitat of microbats and small mammals.
• Clearing the habitat of threatened species that have strongholds in the Pilliga, like the Pilliga Mouse, Eastern pygmy possum and Corben’s Long-eared Bat, will put at risk their survival.
Other issues
• Santos’ environmental impact statement (EIS) for the pipeline claims economic “benefits” of the Narrabri gasfield and Hunter gas pipeline, but takes no responsibility for the harm to biodiversity, water, and climate from the bigger pipeline and gasfield.
• The EIS must be amended to consider the full negative economic impacts of the greenhouse gas emissions from the gasfield and the two pipelines. These impacts will obviously be very significant given Narrabri is predicted to become the sixth biggest source of greenhouse pollution in NSW.

3 December 2025
I am a retired GP with a lifelong interest in the environmental determinants of human health – to which climate change is the greatest threat in our times. I also worked locums for 10 years in remote NT locations among indigenous people, and resist any developments which further damage their heritage. I oppose the Narrabri lateral pipeline on the following grounds.
• The pipeline crosses multiple farms, and half the land disturbed is agricultural land, one fifth is cropping land.
• The other half of the pipeline cuts through the Pilliga Forest. Construction will clear 168 hectares of forest and cut a 30 metre wide corridor through the Pilliga East Forest, damaging microbats and small mammals.
• It will clear habitat and increase risk to threatened species like the Pilliga Mouse, Eastern pygmy possum, and Corben’s Long-eared Bat.
• The pipeline EIS claims the economic “benefits” of the Narrabri gasfield and Hunter gas pipeline, but doesn’t take responsibility for the harm to biodiversity, water and climate from the Hunter pipeline and the gasfield.
• So the EIS should be amended to consider the full negative economic impacts of the greenhouse gas emissions from the gasfield and the two pipelines. Emissions will be enormous, as Narrabri will be the sixth biggest greenhouse emitter in NSW.
• The Pilliga has deep spiritual, social and cultural significance for the Gomeroi. The National Native Title Tribunal acknowledged that all water resources, and Bohena Ck in particular, is of major cultural importance to them. It said there should be no surface disturbance within 500m of Bohena Ck without Gomeroi consent.
• But Santos plans to drill the pipeline right under Bohena Ck and across six other major creeks, disturbing the alluvial groundwater. The EIS does not mention the cultural significance of Bohena Ck for the Gomeroi.
• Construction of the pipeline will also destroy two known sites of significance and damage a further four sites. The Gomeroi say that the Pilliga’s integrity is central to their wellbeing and cultural practice – it must be kept whole.

The proposed gas pipeline is the link between the Narrabri Gas Project and the proposed Hunter Gas Pipeline, which, if approved, will move Santos closer to building the damaging project and drilling 850 gas wells in the Pilliga.

This puts risks of Gomeroi cultural heritage, farmland, water and
The proposed massive Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga forest and its associated high pressure gas pipelines threaten north west NSW.

The gas pipeline will be built right across the Pilliga and directly under Bohena Ck - a creek which the National Native Title Tribunal has recognised is very significant to Gomeroi people.

The Tribunal said that there should be no surface or ground disturbance within 500m of Bohena Ck, but this pipeline will cut right through it.

The pipeline will also clear habitat that is important for threatened species like the Pilliga Mouse and Eastern Pygmy Possum.
Short term solutions for long term damage and unscrupulous businesses.

I am opposed to the construction of this pipeline because it has numerous fatal faults with it including some of the ones listed below:
The Pilliga as a whole has deep spiritual, social and cultural significance for Gomeroi people. The National Native Title Tribunal acknowledged that all water resources, and Bohena Ck in particular, is of major cultural importance to Gomeroi people. The Tribunal said there should be no ground or surface disturbance within 500m of Bohena Ck without Gomeroi consent.
However, Santos plans to drill the pipeline right under Bohena Ck and across six other major creeks, disturbing the alluvial groundwater. The EIS does not discuss the cultural significance of the entire Bohena Ck for Gomeroi people at all.
Construction of the pipeline will also wipe out two known sites of significance and damage a further four sites. Gomeroi people have said the Pilliga’s integrity is central to their wellbeing and cultural practice and must be kept whole.
Impacts on farm land and forest

The pipeline crosses 12 farms, and a little under half the land it will disturb is agricultural land, one fifth of the land to be disturbed is cropping land. The other half of the pipeline cuts through the Pilliga forest.
Construction will clear 168 hectares of forest and will cut a 30 metre wide swathe through the Pilliga East forest, causing serious damage for microbats and small mammals.
It will clear habitat and put at risk threatened species that have strongholds in the Pilliga, like the Pilliga Mouse, Eastern pygmy possum, and Corben’s Long-eared Bat.
kind regards,
Dennis

Dear Commissioners,
I am a grandmother who is passionate about leaving a liveable planet for future generations. We have the knowledge to at least not exacerbate the situation. We just have to implement it, and you are in a position to help NSW do our part by limiting our emissions and protecting our forests and agricultural land.
For this reason the Lateral Pipeline should be rejected.
This pipeline goes through prime agricultural land. 60% of land owners do not want it on their property. I am sure you are receiving many submissions which outline their objections.
Food is more important than unnecessary expensive gas.
If this pipeline is approved it will facilitate the Santos Gas project around Narrabri with its 850 unnecessary gas well on agricultural land and in the Pilliga forest, with potential damage to the Great Artesian basin.
All this damage for expensive unnecessary gas for export! Not only does this add to our emission but with Scope 3 emissions we are adding to the global crisis.
The climate crisis is upon us.
As you can see, not only is the agricultural land affected but also the Pillaga forest. The need to protect forests and biodiversity is universally known.
I urge you to think of future generation.
I urge you to reject this proposal.

Yours sincerely,

Dubb o Environment Group opposes Santos Gas Fracking in the Pilliga Forest and have made submissions before to the IPC and through our Parkes electorate MP during the past 10 years.
The members of Dubbo Environment Group Inc. do not support the continuation of any fossil fuel extraction. We should not need to continually repeat that we need to reduce our carbon and methane emissions as expert Climate Science has been advising for the last 20 years, for us to avoid the devastating consequences of a 2 -degree C. rise in world average temperatures. Already we are experiencing the unprecedented extreme weather events which were predicted by these experts.
In 2024, NSW's average temperature was 1.71 degrees C. above the average for 1961 -1990 according to the BOM.
Global temperatures in 2024 were 1.28 degrees C. above 1951-1980 records and the Earths' average surface temperature was the warmest on record according to NASA.
Australia's ranking is a disappointing, highly irresponsible, 56 in world countries regarding their emissions reduction. This is not the time to progress Narrabri's gas industry.
Dubbo Environment Group Inc. supports the urgent progression of all energy providers to renewable power sources.

I object to the is project not only because it is a damaging and polluting pipeline that will open up the Pilliga for Santos’ 850 well Narrabri coal seam gasfield but also for the reasons outlined below:

Impacts on Gomeroi cultural heritage:
The Pilliga as a whole has deep spiritual, social and cultural significance for Gomeroi people. The National Native Title Tribunal acknowledged that all water resources, and Bohena Ck in particular, is of major cultural importance to Gomeroi people. The Tribunal said there should be no ground or surface disturbance within 500m of Bohena Ck without Gomeroi consent.
However, Santos plans to drill the pipeline right under Bohena Ck and across six other major creeks, disturbing the alluvial groundwater. The EIS does not discuss the cultural significance of the entire Bohena Ck for Gomeroi people at all.
Construction of the pipeline will also wipe out two known sites of significance and damage a further four sites. Gomeroi people have said the Pilliga’s integrity is central to their wellbeing and cultural practice and must be kept whole.

Impacts on farm land and forest:
The pipeline crosses 12 farms, and a little under half the land it will disturb is agricultural land, one fifth of the land to be disturbed is cropping land. The other half of the pipeline cuts through the Pilliga forest.
Construction will clear 168 hectares of forest and will cut a 30 metre wide swathe through the Pilliga East forest, causing serious damage for microbats and small mammals.
It will clear habitat and put at risk threatened species that have strongholds in the Pilliga, like the Pilliga Mouse, Eastern pygmy possum, and Corben’s Long-eared Bat.

Other issues:
Santos’ Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the pipeline claims the economic “benefits” of the Narrabri gasfield and Hunter gas pipeline, but doesn’t take responsibility for the harm to biodiversity, water and climate from the bigger pipeline and gasfield.
The EIS should be amended to consider the full negative economic impacts of the greenhouse gas emissions from the gasfield and the two pipelines, which is likely to be very significant given Narrabri is predicted to be the sixth biggest source of greenhouse pollution in NSW.

I object to this project as it currently stands and request govt reconsideration. My formal submission is attached.

See attachment,