One of Australia’s largest oil and gas firms has been fined for the failed reporting of more than dozen environmental incidents.

Santos has been fined $52,000 for numerous spills and leaks in the Pilliga woodland of New South Wales, with some of the incidents occurring over three years ago.

The resource company made many of the environment breaches known for the first time in a recent report into the activities of Eastern Star, an operator that Santos has now purchased.

The report includes details of a spill at the Bibblewindi Water Treatment Plant, which has since been decommissioned, as well as around sixteen accounts of contaminated water escaping from a series of ‘test wells’ in the environmentally-sensitive Pilliga region.

Among the previously unreported events were multiple serious spills of saline water throughout woodlands and a creek, as well as cases of kangaroos drowning in water storage areas.

Santos claims it has spent millions of dollars in the last few years to try to rectify its mistakes. The firm is also launching an expansion of its project in the Pilliga State forest, drilling fifteen exploration wells and restarting a number of pilots in the coming months.

The $52,000 fine has enraged many locals and conservationists, who say the fee is utterly insignificant for the amount of damage done. Meanwhile, frequent protests and blockades continue to interrupt the activities of several mining companies in and around the Pilliga forest area.

“The public can have no faith in the NSW Government’s regulation of the coal seam gas industry when Santos receives such a pathetic penalty when the maximum fine for one offence is $1 million,” said Wilderness Society Newcastle Campaign Manager Naomi Hogan.

“The Pilliga is our last great inland forest, home to many threatened species including the koala and Pilliga mouse... its part of the Murray Darling basin, Australia’s largest food bowl, and a major recharge zone for the Great Artesian Basin, an essential source of water for Outback Australia.”

Santos says it; “recognises the importance of ensuring that industry complies with the high environmental standards expected by the community”.

“Santos has acted transparently throughout the process, releasing a report on the operational issues uncovered in the Pilliga and bringing them to the attention of the regulator,” Santos Energy New South Wales Manager Environment and Water, Alan Feely said.

“We carried out a thorough review of operations and work practices when we acquired ESG. Since then, we have spent around $17 million on rehabilitation in the Pilliga.”