In accordance with section 15A of the Petroleum Geothermal Energy and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 1967, the Minister for Mines and Petroleum must grant prior written consent of entry for all petroleum, geothermal energy, or greenhouse gas operations intended to be carried out on Reserved Lands.
Before granting consent, the Minister for Mines and Petroleum must consult with the responsible Minister for those reserved lands and obtain that Minister’s recommendations on the conditions, if any, which should be included on the section 15A consent instrument to appropriately manage the proposed operation.
Delegated officers from the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration will refer an application to the relevant government agency to allow that agency to assess the proposed access and brief the responsible Minister for those reserved lands.
The Minister for Mines and Petroleum then receives the recommendations on the conditions to be included on the consent instrument, specific to the proposed operation. The Minister for Mines and Petroleum, or a delegated officer of the department, determines the grant or refusal of the consent to access the reserved lands.
Consent is specific to the proposed operation, however, any conditions imposed on the section 15A consent instrument are legally binding and enforceable, with penalties applying to a breach of a condition.
Applicants should note that this referral process may take a minimum of four months to complete and should be considered when scheduling proposed operations on reserved lands.
Guideline for applying for ministerial consent to access reserved land.
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