Melton MP Don Nardella presented a petition in State Parliament from residents saying they had not been notified of Mantle's application in time to lodge objections.

The 124-signature petition called for a process that would demand "real community consultation".

Mr Nardella urged the government to ramp up companies' advertising requirements ahead of exploration and the processing of mining licence applications.

He said letters should be sent directly to households within the licence area to clearly say what the application is about, outline the company's long-term plans and explain the process of objection.

"People [in Bacchus Marsh] did not know what was happening - advertisements were placed in newspapers that were not prominent locally," Mr Nardella said.

Moorabool Environment Group secretary Deb Porter said she was pleased the push for tougher rules had been taken to Parliament.

"It's incredibly distressing for people when you have an exploration manager knocking at your door to tell you they could drill for coal on your property or across the road," she said.

"It really disarms people and makes them reach decisions quickly that they need to consider and get advice on."

Mantle's exploration manager for Moorabool, Callum Lamont, said the company had informed all affected landowners and would continue to consult the community.

Exploratory drilling over the next three months will be solely for scientific tests, he said, and Mantle would welcome a "robust community debate" once its plans were clear.

"The opposing forces are always important in controlling how projects such as these go ahead," he said. "Our purpose is not to destroy the environment but to have as minimal an impact as possible, and that's the challenge that keeps the job interesting."

Mr Lamont said coal samples from four drill sites in Parwan, Maddingley and Rowsley were being tested to determine if the coal met Mantle's needs. "Analysis in the lab can take weeks and there's no indication on the results at this stage. That will be something we'll share with the community when we have the information."