Locally, objections were almost double those supporting the Santos project – of the 499 submissions the government received from Narrabri, 64 per cent (319) objected to the project, as opposed to 36 per cent (181) supporting it.

Narrabri based anti-coal seam gas group, People for the Plains, is concerned the previous information released by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) may have misled people about the level of local support.

“When the submission summary was first released, a few people seemed to get the wrong end of the stick,” group spokeswoman Sally Hunter said.

“What this new information shows is that most of the people that made submissions from Narrabri are actually opposed to the coal seam gasfield.”

The project drew 22,949 submissions, including more than 18,000 objects, which is the largest number of submissions and objections the DPE has ever received.

At the time, DPE resources assessments director Mike Young said: “Most of the public submissions objected to the project – however, we did receive around 300 submissions in support and most of these were from the Narrabri area.”

Ms Hunter said the number of objection didn’t surprise her, because of the “considerable negative consequences” the project would have for Narrabri.

“People assume that the short-term construction phase of CSG will sustain their business long term, but it won’t,” she said.

“Three years later they realise they have overcapitalised and the jobs have left the district. Meanwhile the costs of doing business and the cost of living has risen.  

“My experience from Queensland is that company-driven hype can leave a lot of people broken-hearted and financially ruined. When the bust comes, it is devastating. I do not want to see that hollowing out of the community here in Narrabri.

“What we’ve seen on the Darling Downs is communities left worse off than before the gas projects started and you can see that for yourself in Chinchilla, Tara, Dalby and Roma.”

The company dismissed the concerns, saying it has “great support” in and around Narrabri.

“The reality is that Darling Downs communities continue to benefit from, and support the gas industry in Queensland with Santos investing $900 million into gas field development this year alone,” a Santos spokesperson said.

“This is supporting hundreds of jobs and improving the incomes of many landholders and small businesses.

“We continue to receive great support from the local community in and around Narrabri. 

“We really appreciate that support, we’ve worked with the local community to give them the information they want about how we operate safely and sustainably and we’ll continue to do so.  

“We’re proud of the work we do, our people live and work in the community, and we want to be a constructive participant in the local community.”

Santos said its interaction within its proposed project area indicated the vast majority of landholders were supportive of its work.

“As are local community groups including the Narrabri Shire Chamber of Commerce and Yes2Gas,” the spokesperson said.

“Santos has been operating safely and sustainably across Australia for more than 60 years and we are proud of the strong and lasting relationships we have built in the communities in which we operate.”