Gas fears in Penola

In his evidence to a Natural Resources committee inquiry last week, Mr Ralton highlighted how, without warning, he and wife Fiona were experiencing noise 24-hours a day during drilling, light pollution, and the smell of rotten egg gas permeating from the site.

They live in a direct line to the site Beach Energy's first exploration well Jolly-1.

Their property, on the south west edge of the Penola township, is about 2-3 kilometres from where drilling occurred.

Mr Ralton said it had also brought "uncertainty" because of the threat of industrialisation of the rural landscape.

"We did not move to Penola to live in an industrial zone and my wife, who is already sensitive to chemicals, will be in a living hell if this proposal is allowed to eventuate," he said.

He also feared property values would drop and local businesses fold as local residents vacated, similar to mining areas of Qld.

"If this is what is in store for us, I have to ask myself as responsible operator and husband should we move?" he said.

"Why risk building our house in the SE and our business here, if fracking is given the go ahead.

"Why risk it when we can only see a future of inevitable loss due to factors outside our control."

Mr Ralton said the issue had put a cloud over investment in the whole region.

He said petrochemical and mining companies would argue gas was critical to local businesses, but many SE businesses were already future proofing by investing in renewable energy technology.

"Kimberley Clark Australia has a project to reduce gas needs by capturing waste heat from exhaust of their gas turbine as a replacement for the gas," he said.

"They expect to generate 100pc steam, 95pc electricity and 85pc of drying heat for lines which make Kleenex, Viva and Cottonelle products.

"Those in the decision making process ask yourselves if you want to be remembered as the ones that could have stopped it (unconventional gas extraction), rather than the ones that didn't."