This initial project plans to drill 850 gas wells with significant risk, for what appears to be a lessening reward, and leaves all the risk of water loss and contamination with everyone except Santos.

Water is the big problem for Santos, they plan to extract 37.5 Billion litres over the project life, and must dispose somewhere within 150kms of Narrabri over 800,000 tons of toxic salt, a by product of the gas extraction process. Which specific shire is putting their hand up for that toxic waste dump?

And water is an ever present life and death problem and solution for everyone else. We as community members and landholders bear all the risk of water depletion, contamination and outright loss.

It's heartening to see NSW Farmers and CWA branches across the region become more and more vocal on this issue as we head into the submission process.

Expansion of Gasfields sit squarely with the petroleum exploration licences that sit 'expired' but not 'expunged' from the planning system. The National Party membership voted to kill off all the expired licences, but will their political representatives see fit to act on membership directive?

One has to wonder who are the true conservatives and who are the radicals in this protracted battle.

Peter Wills, Breeza

"Greens in Senate vote in support of comments to defund police" (Sky News)

Greens back defunding police as motion passes... condemned "those calling for the defunding of our essential police forces" including NSW Greens Legislative Councillor David Shoebridge. (2GB)

"Greens tried to justify the absurd campaign to defund the police" (Matt Canavan on Facebook and Twitter).

Last Thursday Matt Canavan introduced a Motion to the Senate which failed to capture the attention of any credible media outlets but has been reported and repeated over 3 days by Sky News, 2GB and by Matt Canavan via his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

According to the ignorant and crass comments seen on Canavan's Facebook posts, his repeated efforts to deliberately distort the truth through deception and obfuscation, have been very successful amongst his supporters.

In truth however, there is no "absurd campaign to defund the police" in Australia and the Greens did not vote to FOR any such a motion.

What they actually did was vote AGAINST the absurd motion put by Canavan; a motion essentially calling for heaping accolades on police without recognising the condoning and ignoring of police brutality, black deaths in custody, social injustice and racism.

Part (d) of the motion sought to condemn the Greens and in particular David Shoebridge, for saying that a solution to these injustices could be to adopt an entirely different model; from proactive policing where systemic and aggressive enforcement of low level violations and heightened police presence in areas where "crime is anticipated". It advocates that a sizable chunk of a police budget be re-invested in communities, especially marginalized ones where much of the policing occurs; funnel money from police into "community-based strategies"; a strategy referred to in the US as "defund police" but rebadged by Canavan to create divisions in the community and bolster his waning public profile.

Rather than "strangers armed with guns", the defund police organization says, "first responders should be mental health providers, social workers, victim advocates and other community members in less visible roles".

It argues law and order isn't abetted by law enforcement, but through education, jobs and mental health services that low-income communities are often denied. There is evidence that it does work.

Deliberately and mischievously, Matt Canavan and those like-minded are pushing the view that to "defund police" means "dismantle the police". It could not be further from the truth. It is dishonest.

This is not an unusual strategy for Canavan, but it is ugly and offensive on many counts and should be called out. It is time for the silent minority to speak up and demand the term honourable apply to our MPs.

Jan Kleeman, Donald Creek

Joe Townsend, Business NSW Regional Manager is right to be worried about the job losses across regional NSW and the need for economic growth ("Not quite business as usual ... yet", June 20). The push to reduce red tape is fine provided it does not worsen the natural environment in the regions.

A recent report by Ernst and Young found that every dollar spent on clean energy projects generates three times as many jobs as fossil fuel investments. Joe should be promoting smart, clean projects like those promoted by BZE's Million Jobs Plan or Regional Horizons landscape carbon industry plan.

In this way, the pristine environment of regional Australia will be preserved, emissions will be reduced and people will have sustainable long-term jobs.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic