Gomeroi people refuse consent to Santos' Pilliga Forest gas project ahead of title tribunal's decision

The Gomeroi Applicant (TGA), a group of 18 people that make up a representative body of native title claimants, voted not to enter the agreement in a three-day meeting late last month.

Santos and TGA had been in negotiations about the petroleum production lease applications for the Narrabri Gas Project since 2014.

The group said Santos would not provide a fair deal and therefore the tough decision was made to reject the agreement.

"The Gomeroi Applicant tried every avenue to come up with a fair and equitable deal with Santos that we could present to the Gomeroi Nation in good faith," a spokesperson said.

"At the end of the day, the strong vote of the nation shows that the Gomeroi people did not think that Santos presented a fair agreement.

"Santos' proposed project does not give us confidence that Santos will avoid damage to the Pilliga forest, or the Billaga as we say, and its cultural values.

"The nation has voted, and we will do our best to protect the cultural and natural values of the Billaga."

It said the decision was not made exclusively on monetary terms either, with the future of the forest also featuring strongly in its members' thoughts.

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"We are fighting to protect the Billaga from climate change, for Gomeroi people and others as well."

"In our view, there are no satisfactory measures in place to protect our Country. The Gomeroi people are very concerned that the project will impact the Billaga's waterways, and contaminate the Great Artesian Basin."

Despite the group's rejection of the agreement, the project could still go ahead given Santos has previously submitted applications to the National Native Title Tribunal, which would allow leases to be granted without the Gomeroi people's consent.

A hearing in the National Native Title Tribunal will take place from April 8 to 13. The Gomeroi people have submitted evidence to the hearing arguing the project would cause negative effects to the forest, and outlined its spiritual and cultural significance.

Santos has stated despite the rejection of the agreement, it will keep working with the Gomeroi group.

"Santos has been engaging and working constructively with the Gomeroi community since 2012, and will continue to do so," a Santos spokesperson said.

"Santos will respect the decision of the National Native Title Tribunal."

TGA has not ruled out appealing the tribunal's decision and taking it to federal court if it goes against them.

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