The New South Wales government recently announced it would accept new applications for gas exploration in the state’s far west, specifically targeting the Bancannia and Pondie Range troughs. This decision ends a freeze on new gas exploration licenses that had been in place since 2014. Documents obtained through freedom of information requests indicate that prior to this policy shift, the only stakeholder the government met with was the peak body representing the oil and gas industry.

Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos announced the reopening of these areas in April. While the government has framed the move as a step toward managing state resources, the revelation that industry lobbyists were the sole consulted party has drawn scrutiny regarding the transparency of the decision-making process. The government has not yet provided a detailed public explanation as to why other stakeholders, such as environmental groups or local landholders, were not included in the consultation process prior to the announcement. The decision represents a significant departure from the previous decade of policy, which had effectively halted new exploration efforts across the state.