The Gomeroi people in New South Wales' west say there is nothing oil and gas giant Santos can do to earn their consent for the controversial Narrabri Gas Project.
About 300 people in Coonabarabran, near the Pilliga region, on Saturday attended a protest against the Native Title Tribunal's (NTT) decision in favour of the coal seam gas project.
Last month, the tribunal ruled that Santos could go ahead with its multi-billion-dollar project and drill 850 wells in and around the Pilliga without the consent of the Gomeroi people.
Deborah Briggs is a Gomeroi woman from Narrabri who travelled to Coonabarabran for the protest on Saturday night.
"Santos has had something like 20 years to communicate with us and they've chosen not to. They've chosen to tell us lies," she said.
"I don't think they'd have much chance in getting any access to any Gomeroi land now or anytime in the future."
Santos has been contacted for comment.
The NSW government in December declared the project to be critical state significant infrastructure (CSSI), deeming it essential for economic reasons.
CSSI status means no third party can mount a legal appeal against the project without ministerial consent.
NTT is 'a broken system'
One of the statements put out by the protesters calls for an up-and-down overhaul of the native title system.
Coonabarabran local Kim Ellis said the legislation itself was unfair.
"In the NNT, when it's First Nations peoples up against developments, the tally is approximately 187 to three against First Nations people.
"It's a broken system."
Ms Briggs says Gomeroi women are traditionally the custodians of water on their land and the ruling flies in the face of thousands of years of culture.
"Gomeroi women hold the law over water; we have since time began," she said.
"We haven't had control over our water law since invasion and we'd like to have it back in our possession."
She says the Pilliga forest is traditionally the Gomeroi warriors' "training ground" and they have always considered the waters beneath to be sacred.
"For most of the nation out here, the nutrients come from the [Great Artesian] Basin, not from the rivers or from the sky. It's some of the cleanest water you can find," Ms Briggs said.
Fears of toxic bore water
Peter Humphries lives in Coonabarabran and depends on bore water from the basin for his water needs.
He said bore water was all many people in the community had to rely on, especially during drought, so any contamination would be catastrophic.
"[Santos] want to go straight through the Great Artesian Basin and to the Gunnedah Basin underneath, which is much older, much more toxic water," Mr Humphries said.
"Right now, there's no connection between the two basins.
"But if they go straight through, then their concrete and steel [pipes and wells] will not last long enough to prevent them from becoming connected over time."
Australian Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi attended the protest and said the government should rapidly transition to renewable energy instead of approving new gas projects.
She called on the government to revoke Santos's license for the project.
