Some perspectiveI know the Pilliga well and the Wilderness...

Some perspective

I know the Pilliga well and the Wilderness Society.

The Pilliga is a highly disturbed landscape - a forest that was not there prior to European settlement. It is dominated by Cypress scrub (regrowth) and is a working forest largely for extraction of Iron Bark trees.

This has long been an environmental battleground - especially through the Regional Forest Agreement process under the Carr Government.

It has remained a working forest not a national park. This is important - it is not going to remain undisturbed with or without gas extraction.

ESG need to get on the front foot with some robust strategies to minimise their impact on threatened species. This could include some offsets and sensible management measures. Strategies to employ locals will help and this is an ecosystem that can be managed to have better outcomes for threatened species. Local and practical environmentalists will welcome this (though their concern about ground water will remain).

The wilderness society are the extreme fringe of the environmental movement. They would oppose you weeding your back yard if they could. No point in trying to win them over.

Nothing here that couldnt be managed into a positive