The massive swing away from The Nationals in the NSW seat of Barwon has shown the majority of residents in north-west NSW oppose the proposed Narrabri gasfield as they voted overwhelmingly for candidates that promised to stop it.
Lock the Gate spokesperson Georgina Woods said Premier Gladys Berejiklian and National Party leader John Barilaro should heed voters’ calls and reject the destructive coal seam gas (CSG) proposal.
“Communities in north-west NSW have been fighting against CSG for more than a decade. The NSW Government should use this election result as a clear mandate to stop it,” she said.
“The National Party candidate was the only serious contender in Barwon that did not oppose the Narrabri gas project.
“The successful Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate, Roy Butler, was one of many candidates who promised to stop the Narrabri gasfield, and that platform has now been overwhelmingly endorsed by voters.
“Huge National Party losses in polling booths like Coonamble and Coonabarabran where there is strong opposition to CSG highlights the impact the issue had.
“We call on the leader of the NSW Nationals, John Barilaro, to stand up and stop Santos’ Narrabri gas project and protect the water resources of North West NSW from CSG.
Ms Woods said the threat the Narrabri CSG Project posed to water resources, including to a vital recharge area of the Great Artesian Basin, was completely unacceptable.
The Barwon election result is the latest evidence of widespread opposition to CSG including:
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More than 100 communities across three million hectares in north-west NSW have surveyed their populations door to door and declared themselves gasfield free.
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More than 23,000 submissions were made opposing the Narrabri gas project and extensive door-knocking in Narrabri itself has revealed majority opposition to it.