The Narrabri Gas project would cause permanent environmental harm and does not have the support of local Indigenous people, the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) heard from Moree representatives during the second day of the public hearing.
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Moree Aboriginal elder and Gomeroi Traditional custodian Maria 'Polly' Cutmore, one of the first speakers on Tuesday, compared the project to massacres of Aboriginal Australians during colonisation.
"My people have been suffering and we can't suffer no more," she told the IPC through tears.
"How much more do we have to put up with in our country? You can't destroy the water on us.
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"We've had this done to us over and over for 250 years.
"It started with the massacres, it started with the bushfires, the destruction of our country.
"We want to be able to live and enjoy life in our country. We can't have this any more."
Garah grazier Helen Carrigan, representing the Moree Plains Gas Pipeline Group, told the Inquiry that the Narrabri Gas Project would have "disastrous" consequences for the Moree Plains Shire - one of the richest agricultural shires in Australia.
"Our group are concerned that one of the most valuable resources, our water, sourced from the Great Artesian Basin, will be endangered through the approval of this gas project, within the greater artesian recharge area of the Pilliga State Forest," she said on Tuesday.
The Moree Plains Gas Pipeline Group is made up of landholders who will be directly impacted by the proposed Queensland Hunter Gas Pipeline, which would be used to transport gas from the Narrabri Gas Project if it is approved.
These landholders are concerned about the impacts of having a high-pressure gas pipeline running through their property.
"There are concerns about succession planning, the effects on the landholders' ability to sell their farms - who wants to buy a property which has a high-pressurised gas pipeline running through it? - liability insurance, as touched on by so many people," Ms Carrigan said.
"WFI have indicated they will not cover properties with coal seam gas infrastructure, what about properties with high-pressure gas pipelines?"
Ms Carrigan told the Inquiry that the cap and pipe artesian bore scheme, which provides many properties in the area with a continuous supply of water, was a "lifesaver" for landholders during the recent drought.
She explained that cracks and leaks in these pipes from soil movement, particularly during dry times, are a ongoing issue.
"In average dry times, we have large cracks in the ground, which can be well over a metre in depth," she said.
"In severe drought times, the cracks are much deeper and wider.
"Cracks and leaks in this polypipe are an ongoing issue and they require regular maintenance and repairs.
"The HGP [Hunter Gas Pipeline] company proposes to run high-pressure gas from the Narrabri Gas Project with a solid pipe 550 to 600mm in diameter, buried only 750mm in the ground. As the soil cracks and shifts, what happens when the pipeline gives?
"This is an environmental disaster waiting to happen."
Ms Carrigan implored the Commission to not approve the Narrabri Gas Project.
"I ask you to consider what personal sacrifices the proponent, Santos, will make if the gas project does not go ahead, apart from financial loss to the company and its shareholders," she said.
"Whereas our agricultural lands, precious water, farming families and communities will make personal sacrifices and will suffer for generations to come if you recommend this project to be approved."
