Petroleum Act 1923

This section applies if—

a person (an operator) proposes to be an operator of operating plant in the area of a 1923 Act petroleum tenure; and

activities (relevant activities) carried out, or proposed to be carried out, at the plant may adversely affect the safe and efficient carrying out of authorised activities for an overlapping authority (geothermal or GHG) for the 1923 Act petroleum tenure; and

the overlapping authority (geothermal or GHG) is an overlapping tenure.

Before any operator may operate relevant operating plant, each operator must have made reasonable attempts to consult with the overlapping tenure holder about relevant activities for the plant.

If there is more than 1 operator, the 1923 Act petroleum tenure holder may coordinate the consultation between the operators and the overlapping tenure holder.

For subsection (2), an operator is taken to have made reasonable attempts to consult if—

the operator gives the overlapping tenure holder a copy of the parts of the operator’s proposed safety management system concerning any relevant operating plant the operator proposes to operate for the relevant activities; and

the overlapping tenure holder has not within 30 days after the giving of the copy made any proposal to the operator about provisions for the system.

An operator must, before making or remaking a safety management system for any relevant operating plant the operator operates or proposes to operate, have regard to any reasonable provisions for the system proposed by the overlapping tenure holder concerning relevant activities for the plant.

However, the obligation under subsection (5) applies only to the extent the provisions are commercially and technically feasible for the operator or any relevant 1923 Act petroleum tenure holder.

If an operator makes a safety management system for relevant operating plant and the system includes provisions proposed by the overlapping tenure holder, the operator must—

give the overlapping tenure holder a copy; and

lodge a notice stating any provisions proposed under subsection (5) and whether they were included in the system.

In this section—