I would agree that farmers and Santos are both special interest...

I would agree that farmers and Santos are both special interest groups but you have now done a 180 degree shift on what the term means as generally applied.
In a nutshell Santos has to demonstrate what they are doing is in the public interest, it's not the default position that whatever Santos (or Stalin) wants is in the public interest.
Specifically Santos should demonstrate to me how they are addressing the risks of climate change and preserving the water. If they did that people wouldn't feel the need to lock the gate, the genuine concerns of the activists should be addressed. That's what a democracy looks like.
That doesn't mean the world should grind to a halt every time some crazy lunatic jumps in front of a digger (having spent time on industrial sites I dissaprove of such action).
It does mean people who speak truth to power should have their questions answered, many of the things the activists say are reasonable.
There are also alternatives to what STO is doing. It was never a foregone conclusion that they would squander the wealth generated by the Cooper on GLNG.
The economics of what the business is doing get worse and worse yet they carry on burying their heads in the sand.