Today’s Federal Court ruling on the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline means major gas infrastructure in this case will proceed without proper assessment of its impacts on water. 

The Court dismissed the legal challenge brought by the volunteer community group Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA), which argued the environment minister should have applied the national ‘water trigger’ to the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline – essential infrastructure for Santos’ 850-well coal seam gas development near Narrabri, NSW. 

MGPA says the ruling in this case highlights a serious flaw in Australia’s environmental protections: this gas pipeline can be separated from the gas project it will be built to serve – meaning its water impacts may never be fully scrutinised. 

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

“We’re very disappointed by today’s decision.” 

“Our community depends on clean, reliable water. And once that water is contaminated, it’s gone – you can’t unpollute a river and you can’t unpollute the Great Artesian Basin. 

“In our region, a major gas pipeline built to carry coal seam gas across creeks and farmland can avoid a full assessment for its risks to our water.  

“Our community expects big infrastructure to be properly assessed for risks of leaks and contamination.  

“We’re urging the Government to make sure Australia’s water protection standards are iron-clad – because protecting water cannot be optional.” 

Environmental Justice Australia Senior Lawyer Virginia Trescowthick said:  

“National environment laws are supposed to protect water resources from coal seam gas developments. But today’s ruling shows those protections won’t apply to this pipeline.  

“Our client is deeply concerned this coal seam gas project can be sliced and diced to avoid proper scrutiny.” 

“Our client is now considering all legal options.” 

Background

The Water Trigger  

The water trigger is a protective mechanism 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 – finding the pipeline was not integral to gas extraction and therefore did not require assessment of its impacts on water. 

MGPA argued that the pipeline is integral infrastructure for transporting gas from the 850-well Narrabri Gas Project and that its potential impact on creeks and rivers in the Namoi catchment and the Great Artesian Basin should have triggered legal safeguards under the EPBC Act.  

The Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA) 

The Mullaley Gas & Pipeline Accord (MGPA) is a volunteer community group based in the Namoi region of north-western NSW – an important agricultural area reliant on clean, secure water. 

For more than a decade, MGPA has advocated for the protection of the environment, agricultural productivity and communities of the Namoi catchment for present and future generations. The group is deeply concerned about the potential long-term risks of high-pressure gas infrastructure on water resources throughout the Namoi catchment. 

MGPA is represented by Environmental Justice Australia. 

The Narrabri Lateral Pipeline  

The Narrabri Lateral Pipeline is a proposed 50-60 km underground gas transmission pipeline in north-western NSW intended to connect Santos’ approved 850-well coal seam gas field to the Hunter Gas Pipeline and the broader east-coast gas market. 

The pipeline would cross Gomeroi Country, productive agricultural land, the Bibblewindi and Pilliga Forests, raising concerns about potential impacts on the Namoi River catchment and the Great Artesian Basin. 

Photographs and videos of MGPA are available here.  

Further information: https://envirojustice.org.au/legal-work/climate-justice/the-narrabri-pipeline-challenge/  

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