A volunteer community group in northwestern New South Wales has launched a legal challenge to the federal government’s assessment of the controversial Narrabri Lateral Pipeline, which would connect Santos’ 850 new coal seam gas wells to Australia’s east coast. 

The group, the Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA), with legal backing from Environmental Justice Australia, has asked the Federal Court for a judicial review of the Environment Minister’s decision not to apply the ‘water trigger’ when assessing the pipeline.  

Santos has approval to drill 850 coal seam gas wells near Narrabri including within the Pilliga Forest and needs this pipeline to transport gas to the NSW transmission network. The route crosses Gomeroi Country and productive farmland in New South Wales. 

The Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA) argues that Australia’s Environment Minister wrongly concluded that the pipeline wasn’t integral to the Narrabri Gas Project – and therefore failed to assess its impact on water as required by law. 

(Pictured: Alistair Donaldson, Noni Wells and Paul Anderton)

Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA) spokesperson Noni Wells says:

“The farms and families in this region are utterly dependent on clean, reliable water. MGPA is going to court because every decision that could put water at risk must be assessed with the care it deserves. 

“This pipeline would cut through productive farmland in NSW, and MGPA believes its risks to water haven’t been properly assessed. 

“This pipeline is not a side project — without it, the gas can’t flow. MGPA says it’s integral to the project and should be assessed as such.” 

Environmental Justice Australia senior specialist lawyer Charley Brumby-Rendell says:

"The water trigger is an important legal safeguard requiring additional scrutiny for projects that involve coal seam gas developments and with a likely significantly impact on water."  

 "The Narrabri pipeline is critical to transporting gas directly from the Narrabri Gas Project. Our client argues the pipeline's risks to water haven’t been properly assessed as required by law. " 

What is this case about?

The “water trigger” is a safeguard under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) that requires extra scrutiny of coal seam gas projects likely to have a significant impact on water resources.  

On 7 February 2025, the Minister’s delegate found the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline was a “controlled action” due to its potential impacts on threatened species, but did not apply the water trigger – ruling that the pipeline was not integral to the gas extraction and did not require assessment of its impacts on water. 

MGPA argues that the pipeline is not a side project, but essential infrastructure for the Narrabri Gas Project – and that its potential impact on rivers, creeks, groundwater and the Great Artesian Basin should have triggered legal safeguards under the EPBC Act. 

If the Narrabri pipeline had been fully assessed under the ‘water trigger’, it would have required additional scrutiny of any potential risks to the region’s rivers, creeks and groundwater. 

What is the Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord? 

The Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA) is a volunteer community group based in the Namoi region of northwestern New South Wales, a major agricultural area dependent on clean, reliable water, MGPA is represented in this matter by lawyers at Environmental Justice Australia. 

MGPA is concerned about the pipeline impacts on waterways, agriculture and communities throughout the region. For over a decade, MGPA has advocated for the protection of the environment, agricultural productivity and communities of the Namoi Catchment for present and future generations. MGPA is deeply concerned about the potential long-term risks of high-pressure gas infrastructure on water resources throughout the Namoi catchment.

What is the Narrabri pipeline? 

The Narrabri Lateral Pipeline is a proposed 50 to 60 km underground gas transmission pipeline in northwestern NSW, intended to connect Santos’ approved 850-well coal seam gas field with the Hunter Gas Pipeline and the broader east coast gas market. The project crosses Gomeroi Country, productive farmland, the Bibblewindi and Pilliga Forests, and has raised concerns about potential risks to the Namoi River catchment and Great Artesian Basin.  

MEDIA CONTACT: Miki Perkins, 03 8341 3110, [email protected]

*For legal reasons, members of MGPA will not be able to do live interviews, but pics and videos are available here.