Read the following excerpt from the Guardian newspaper article dated 30th Sep 2020:

Narrabri gas project: do we need it and what's at stake for Australia's environment? The New South Wales independent planning commission is due to make a decision on a proposed new gas development at Narrabri, in northern NSW.

What is the project? The proposal by Santos to develop a gas field at Narrabri has been in the works for more than a decade, but has become emblematic of something much larger the Morrison governments push to significantly expand gas extraction and use. As proposed, the $3.6bn project would involve up to 850 coal seam gas wells being drilled down on 1,000 hectares across a 95,000 hectare site that includes Pilliga forest and nearby grazing land. The wells would descend more than a kilometre below the surface to draw up to 200 terajoules of gas a day for domestic use for 20 years equivalent to 50% of NSW demand.

Who supports it? Santos pitch is that it will deliver more affordable, secure, cleaner energy for the state, lead to jobs and investment in a regional area and can be developed safely and sustainably without harming water resources or the environment. It is backed by both the federal and state governments, several business groups and gas-reliant manufacturers. It received formal backing from the Berejiklian government in June, when the state Department of Planning, Industry and Environment recommended it be approved with what it described as strict conditions, saying it was critical for energy security in the state and unlikely to result in significant impacts on the community or environment.

Who is opposed? While political and business support for the project has been significant, the registered public response has been overwhelmingly against. The department received nearly 23,000 submissions during its deliberations. Nearly 98% were opposed on a range of grounds, including that it could damage groundwater relied on for agriculture, lead to a loss of pressure in the Great Artesian Basin, affect biodiversity in the Pilliga forest and release substantial greenhouse gas emissions. Opponents include local farmers, scientists, conservationists and those who do not believe the economics stack up. A former national chief scientist Penny Sackett said it was at odds with the Paris agreement and cutting emissions to net zero by 2050 a target backed by the NSW government and many in business, but not Morrison.

1. You, being an independent facilitator, are about to walk into the room to engage with the stakeholders, consisting of both supporters and opposers. You want to elicit the concerns, wishes and suggestions of the majority, if not all, of the stakeholders. How would you frame your request? [5 marks]

2. Having captured stakeholders' concerns, wishes and suggestions in a previous consultation session, you are now about to commence a second session to seek buy-in from (opposing) stakeholders into the WSA project. Discuss a strategy you would use to commence the facilitation process. [5 marks]