根据自由信息法公开的文件显示，石油和天然气行业的最高机构是新南威尔士州政府在决定重新开放天然气勘探批准（时隔十余年首次）之前唯一会面的利益相关者。
The peak body for the oil and gas industry was the only stakeholder the New South Wales government met with before a decision to reopen gas exploration approvals for the first time in more than a decade, documents released under freedom of information laws suggest.
四月，新南威尔士州自然资源部长考特尼·胡索斯宣布，政府将在该州最西部的两个地区——班坎尼亚和蓬迪山谷槽地——开放天然气勘探申请，这是自2014年该州冻结新发许可证以来的首次。
In April, the NSW minister for natural resources, Courtney Houssos, announced the government would open applications for gas exploration in two areas in the far west, the Bancannia and Pondie Range troughs, for the first time since a 2014 freeze on new licenses in the state.
在其2021年天然气行业声明中，前联合政府在公众咨询后排除了该州最西部地区的新天然气勘探，称其仅支持桑托斯纳拉布里天然气项目在新南威尔士州西北部的有限延伸。但《每日电讯报》去年报道称，工党总理克里斯·明斯正在接受关于潜在新气田的简报。
In its 2021 gas industry statement, the former Coalition government ruled out new gas exploration in the far west after public consultation, saying it would only support limited extensions beyond Santos' Narrabri gas project in north-west NSW. But the Daily Telegraph reported last year that the Labor premier, Chris Minns, was being briefed on potential new gasfields.
环保组织对四月的宣布感到惊讶。"锁门行动"（Lock the Gate）根据新南威尔士州自由信息法提出请求，要求胡索斯办公室提供与第三方及外部利益相关者就该决策的所有会议和通信记录。
Environmental organisations were surprised by April's announcement. Lock the Gate made a request under NSW freedom of information laws for Houssos's office to provide records of all meetings and correspondence with third parties and external stakeholders in relation to the decision.
该请求仅产生了政府与石油和天然气行业最高机构——澳大利亚能源生产商协会（AEP）在二月会面的记录。在宣布前几天，部长办公室还与AEP、澳大利亚工会以及新南威尔士州商业协会进行了通讯，讨论在政府新闻稿中提供支持该决策的声明。
The request only produced records of a meeting between the government and the peak body for the oil and gas industry, Australian Energy Producers (AEP) in February. In the days before the announcement, the minister's office corresponded with the AEP, Australian Workers' Union and Business NSW, about providing statements in support of the decision in the government's media release.
胡索斯在宣布当天早上还致信其他利益相关者，包括"锁门行动"和新南威尔士州农民协会。新南威尔士州农民协会发表声明，呼吁政府"回答紧急问题，即在推动新天然气勘探时，将如何保护地下水、农场生物安全和土地所有者的权益"。
Houssos wrote to other stakeholders including Lock the Gate and NSW Farmers on the morning of the announcement. NSW Farmers put out a statement calling for the government to "answer urgent questions about how it will protect groundwater, farm biosecurity, and landholders as it promotes new gas exploration".
锁住门户告诉澳大利亚卫报，在自由信息请求后提供的文件显示，“天然气行业游说团体在新南威尔士州政府天然气勘探政策的制定中获得了优先访问权”。
Lock the Gate told Guardian Australia the documents provided following the freedom of information request showed "the gas industry lobby has obtained preferential access to development of the NSW government's gas exploration policy".
Gomeroi族女性、锁住门户发言人卡拉·金切拉表示，新南威尔士州政府在四月的“反复无常决定”让社区“完全措手不及”，包括巴尔卡恩吉原住民土地所有权群体。
Karra Kinchela, a Gomeroi woman and Lock the Gate's spokesperson, said the "backflip decision" by the NSW government in April had "completely blindsided communities, including the Barkandji Native Title group".
“我们现在知道，天然气游说团体从一开始就在帐篷里，”金切拉说。
"We now know that the gas lobby was inside the tent from the beginning," Kinchela said.
2015年，巴尔卡恩吉原住民土地所有权群体在新南威尔士州西部偏远地区的128,000平方公里区域内成功提出原住民土地所有权主张，该区域包括班坎尼亚和蓬迪山谷槽地部分地区。
In 2015, the Barkandji Native Title group was successful in a native title claim over a 128,000 sq km area in far western NSW, including parts of the Bancannia and Pondie Range troughs.
新南威尔士州政府未就其是否在四月批准天然气勘探许可证开放的决定过程中与其他利益相关方会面的问题作出回应，针对卫澳大利亚卫报的提问。
The NSW government did not engage with Guardian Australia's question about whether it met with other stakeholders about the decision to open approvals for gas exploration licences in April.
在其上周发布的天然气行业声明中，政府排除了释放新区域用于勘探的可能，但重申了对西部偏远地区和纳拉布里地区勘探许可批准的承诺，并表示将尊重现有许可证。
In its gas industry statement, released last week, it ruled out releasing new areas for exploration, but reaffirmed the commitment to approvals in the far west and for Narrabri, and said it would honour existing licenses.
胡索斯的一位发言人告诉澳大利亚卫报，政府在制定新南威尔士州天然气声明过程中“与多方利益相关方进行了真诚的协商”。
A spokesperson for Houssos told Guardian Australia the government had "engaged in genuine consultation with a range of stakeholders as we prepared our NSW gas statement".
“这包括与十几位利益相关方的会晤，包括能源生产商、环境倡导团体、工会、土地所有者、原住民群体和商业代表。”
"This included meetings with more than a dozen stakeholders, including energy producers, environmental advocacy groups, unions, landholders, First Nations groups, and business representatives."
“我们一直明确表示，天然气将继续在电力发电中发挥重要作用，在太阳能和风能输出较低的罕见时期稳定电网。”在周三发布天然气声明后，新南威尔士州绿党立法委员会成员苏·希金森表示，天然气“不是过渡燃料，只是另一种化石燃料”。
"We have been clear that gas will continue to play an important role in electricity generation, firming the grid during infrequent periods when solar and wind output is low." Following the release of the gas statement on Wednesday, the NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson said that gas was "not a transition fuel, it's just another fossil fuel".
新开采将在数十年内锁定排放和基础设施，而恰恰是在新南威尔士州需要加速摆脱化石燃料的关键时刻。班卡尼亚和蓬迪山谷槽的勘探许可证申请窗口由部长决定，已于7月关闭。政府已收到一份申请，目前正在进行评估过程。AEP未回应《卫报》澳大利亚版的置评请求。
"New extraction locks in emissions and infrastructure for decades at precisely the point when NSW needs to be accelerating away from fossil fuels." The window for applications for exploration licenses in the Bancannia and Pondie Range troughs, which are decided by the minister, closed in July. The government has received one application, which is currently going through the assessment process. AEP did not respond to Guardian Australia's request for comment.