The protester, Warrick Jordan, scaled 25m into the air and hung suspended from the rig for almost 16 hours.

The protester was arrested late on Tuesday afternoon, and spent close to five hours being processed by police at the Narrabri police station.

Northern Inland Council for the Environment spokesperson Carmel Flint described the protest as a “turning point”.

“It was an historic day...which we believe will be remembered as a turning point in the fight against coal seam gas in NSW,” she said.

“This growing people’s movement has just entered a new phase of powerful direct action and non-cooperation in NSW.

“The police have responded to these events by really throwing the book at Warrick Jordan.

“He has been charged with five separate offences, including two offences under the Crimes Act and two offences under the Inclosed Lands Protection Act. The charges range from entering enclosed land to risking the safety of others and causing damage to property.

“These charges will be vigorously defended. The protest was entirely peaceful, it occurred in a public forest, and there was no damage of any sort as a result of it,” she said.

“The only damage that is occurring in the Pilliga Forest is being done by Eastern Star Gas. They...plan to turn one of our most precious forests into a giant gas field.

“The proposed gas field in the Pilliga Forest is the thin edge of the wedge – this project will entrench the coal seam gas industry in north-western NSW and spread out across bushlands and farmlands alike, representing a serious threat to the Great Artesian Basin.”