Gas industry peak body tells Beetaloo Basin Senate inquiry fracking cannot happen without consent from traditional owners

The chief executive of Australia's peak body for the oil and gas industry says no fracking will occur in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin without consent from affected traditional owners or pastoralists. Key points: Fracking the Northern Territory's gas-rich Beetaloo Basin was the subject of a Senate inquiry held in Darwin on Tuesday Traditional owners told the inquiry they have concerns over the impact of hydraulic fracturing on sacred sites and water supplies One anti-fracking speaker revealed a NT bureaucrat overseeing environmental decisions was a former employee of gas giant Santos Speaking at a Senate inquiry into the basin in Darwin on Tuesday, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association CEO Andrew McConville said gas companies would not operate on land without permission. "No oil and gas exploration, and no production of oil and gas, can be undertaken without the consent of traditional owners or the pastoralists," he told the inquiry. Debate over a perceived 'conflict of interest' Speaking at the inquiry, Dan Robins, from anti-fracking collective Lock The Gate Alliance, alleged a "conflict of interest" between Shaun Drabsch, the CEO of the Northern Territory's Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, and gas giant Santos.