THE Queensland government is facing calls for a full public inquiry into rushed CSG project approvals.
Former Queensland bureaucrat-turned whistleblower Simone Marsh claims approval for an $18 billion Santos project and a $20 billion Queensland Gas Company (QGC) project in 2010 was rushed through without crucial information.
The senior environmental specialist told the ABC's Four Corners program she and other decision-makers did not have information necessary to properly assess the environmental impact of the projects.
A spokesman for Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the claims are nothing new and are under investigation by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).
The government will not be commenting on the issue, he says, but green groups aren't holding back.
The Lock the Gate Alliance says the CMC should hold a public inquiry to address the issue.
"Any public servant who has signed an environmental authority for any of these projects has breached several sections of the Environmental Protection Act and, therefore, is likely to have committed official misconduct," Mr Hutton said.
"This situation came about because of improper political pressure that was placed on the public servants, as Simone Marsh has described."
Santos and QGC agreed with the government that the allegations had been aired previously.
They said they complied with all government requirements and did not try to influence the approvals process.
Industry spokesman Rick Wilkinson, who heads the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, told the program the right procedures were followed.
"And there were many checks and balances on the way through," he said.
