Release of information
118 Release of information
The Minister may, at any time, make available to a Minister of this State or to a Minister of State of the Commonwealth or of another State—
any information contained in a report, return or other document relating to a block that has been furnished to the Minister; and
any cores or cuttings from, or samples of, the seabed or subsoil in a block, or samples of petroleum recovered in a block, that have been furnished to the Minister.
The Minister or a Minister of this State may, at any time after the relevant day—
make publicly known; or
on request by a person and, if the Minister or the Minister of this State so requires, on payment of a fee of $15 per day, make available to that person;
any information that has been furnished to the Minister or has been made available to the Minister of this State under subsection (1), being information that relates to the seabed or subsoil, or to petroleum in a block, but not including any matter contained in a report, return or document that in the opinion of the Minister or the Minister of this State, is a conclusion drawn, in whole or in part from, or an opinion based in whole or in part on, any such information.
The Minister or a Minister of this State may, at any time after the relevant day—
make publicly known any particulars of; or
on request by a person and, if the Minister or the Minister of this State so requires, on payment of a fee of $15 per day, permit that person to inspect;
any cores or cuttings from, or samples of, the seabed or subsoil in a block, or samples of petroleum recovered in a block, that have been furnished to the Minister or have been made available to the Minister of this State under subsection (1).
For the purposes of subsections (2) and (3)—
where—
a permit is in force in respect of the block; and
the block is not a block that is, or is included in, a location;
the relevant day is the day on which the period of 5 years that commenced on the day on which the report, return, other document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister expires;
where—
a licence is in force in respect of the block; and
the block is not a block that is, or is included in, a location;
the relevant day is the day on which the period of 12 months that commenced on the day on which the report, return, other document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister expires;
where a permit or licence is not in force in respect of the block but—
a permit or licence has been surrendered or determined as to the block; and
at the time of the surrender or determination, the block was, or was included in, a location; and
a notification in respect of the block has been published under section 23(2) or section 47(4);
the relevant day is the day on which the period of 6 months that commenced on the day on which the notification was published expires;
where the report, return, other document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister during the period during which a permit or licence was in force in respect of the block and—
the block is not a block that is, or is included in, a location and the permit or licence is surrendered or cancelled as to the block; or
the block is, or is included in, a location and the permit or licence is cancelled as to the block; or
the permit or licence expires but is not renewed in respect of the block;
the relevant day is the day on which the permit or licence is so surrendered or cancelled or expires, as the case may be, whether another permit or licence is subsequently in force in respect of the block or not; and
where—
the report, return, other document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister during a period during which a permit or licence was not in force in respect of the block; and
a permit or licence is not in force in respect of the block;
the relevant day is such day as the Minister determines.
Where—
a report, return, other document, core, cutting or sample referred to in subsection (1) was furnished to the Minister—
during or in respect of a period during which a permit or licence was in force in respect of the block; or
during or in respect of a period during which a special prospecting authority or access authority was in force in respect of the block but during which a permit or licence was not in force in respect of the block; and
the permittee, licensee or holder of the special prospecting authority or access authority or, if the permit, licence, special prospecting authority or access authority has ceased to be in force, the person who was the holder of the permit, licence, special prospecting authority or access authority—
has made publicly known any information contained in the report, return or other document or has consented in writing to any of that information being made publicly known; or
has made publicly known any particulars of that core, cutting or sample or has consented in writing to any particulars of that core, cutting or sample being made publicly known or to that core, cutting or sample being made available for inspection;
the Minister, or a Minister of this State to whom that information, core, cutting or sample has been made available under subsection (1) may, at any time after that information has, or those particulars have, been made publicly known or after that consent has been given—
make publicly known that information or, on request by another person and, if the Minister or the Minister of this State so requires, on payment of a fee of $15 per day, make that information available to that other person; or
make publicly known those particulars or, on request by any other person and, if the Minister or the other Minister so requires, on payment of a fee of $15 per day, permit that other person to inspect that core, cutting or sample;
as the case may be.
Except as provided by the preceding provisions of this section or for the purposes of the administration of this Act and the regulations, the Minister, or another Minister to whom any information, core, cutting or sample has been made available under subsection (1), shall not—
make publicly known, or make available to any person (not being a Minister of this State or a Minister of State of the Commonwealth or a Minister of State of another State), any information contained in a report, return or other document referred to in any of those provisions; or
make publicly known any particulars of, or permit any person (not being a Minister referred to in paragraph (a)) to inspect, any core, cutting or sample so referred to.
In this section, a reference to a core, cutting or sample includes a reference to a portion of a core, cutting or sample.
For the purposes of this section—
cores and cuttings, and well data, logs, sample descriptions and other documents, relating to the drilling of a well, shall be deemed to have been furnished to the Minister not later than 1 month after the drilling of the well was, in the opinion of the Minister, substantially completed; and
geophysical or geochemical data relating to geophysical or geochemical surveys shall be deemed to have been furnished to the Minister not later than 1 year after the geophysical or geochemical field work was, in the opinion of the Minister, substantially completed.
In this section a reference to a Minister of State of another State includes a reference to a Minister of State of the Northern Territory.
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