Big banks that funded a gas mega-project off the Northern Territory are just as responsible for breaching their human rights as the driller, a group of Tiwi and Larrakia traditional owners says.

The group claims 11 banks failed to respond to human rights complaints over the $5.5 billion Barossa project by oil and gas company Santos.

Despite committing to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the banks “overwhelmingly failed” to abide by the rules used to establish their human rights credentials.

Carol Maria Puruntatameri, a Tiwi elder who filed the grievance, says by giving Santos the money to go ahead with the project, the banks are just as culpable in disrespecting her cultural heritage.

“I’m very hurt. We all feel hurt that they aren’t listening to us,” she said in a statement released by Equity Generation Lawyers.

“When Santos drill, the banks are also drilling into our bodies. They are exactly the same.

“The bank is giving Santos the money to go ahead with destroying us and who we are.”

In September the Federal Court prevented drilling at the multibillion dollar project, about 285km northwest of Darwin and 140km from the Tiwi Islands, finding it should not have been approved by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority.

Justice Mordecai Bromberg said the regulator should not have been lawfully satisfied the project’s drilling plan met the legal criteria.

In April the traditional owners lodged grievances with Australia’s big four banks and eight international banks over a $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) loan they provided to Santos.

The group called out NAB and Westpac on Thursday for  dismissing its concerns and refusing to meet on country, while it said ANZ refused to confirm that it has accepted the grievance in its system.

Commonwealth Bank rejected the complaint, but did accept the invitation to meet on the Tiwi Islands to discuss the concerns.

In May Santos said it categorically rejected allegations of human rights breaches and reserved its rights in the matter.

“Santos notes the claimants have not sought to have their grievances determined or remedied in a court of competent jurisdiction where Santos could properly respond,” the gas company said in a statement.

Santos said it was engaged in lawful regulatory processes for the Barossa project, including consultation with Indigenous people and other stakeholders.

AAP has contacted the four Australian banks for comment.

– AAP