OPPONENTS of the proposed Hunter Gas Pipeline (HGP) from Queensland have released company minutes of meetings with state government figures - obtained under freedom of information - in another round of the decade-plus battle over the project.
The Hunter Gas Landholders Rights Alliance and Lock The Gate Alliance say the minutes of two meetings with Environment Minister Matt Kean and others in late 2020 show HGP - led by businessman Garbis Simonian - tried to have their pipeline "preferenced" over a line proposed to take gas from Narrabri.
However, as Lock The Gate acknowledged, the minutes show Mr Kean told the proponents it was not for the government to "support one over another".
Hunter Gas Landholders president Meg Bowman described the meetings as "disappointing" because of the subjects not discussed.
"It's disappointing that in the meeting between the proponents and the government there is no mention by either the proponent or the NSW government that this pipeline will cause untold damage to farmers' lives and livelihoods," Ms Bowman said.
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She said the pipeline would impact on more than 1000 hectares of koala habitat in northern NSW. She said the landholders' group had about 70 members.
Responding, Mr Simonian said the project was first approved in February 2009, with a five-year extension, to October 2024, granted in 2019.
He said the company had been working with directly affected landholders on a final route and that "only about 5 per cent" of those were objecting, mainly "hobby farmers" with smaller holdings.
He said the pipeline would be buried underground, and that claims of environmental damage were greatly exaggerated.
He said the meetings with government figures were a normal part of developing such a project. He said the switch from coal was causing global shortages of gas and that the pipeline was needed more than ever.
He said "discussions" had been held with Santos - holder of the Narrabri gas field - about "co-operation".
He said the project had been valued at about $850 million in 2009 but the cost now would be more than $1.2 billion with increases in the costs of materials, labour and land.
