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OFFSHORE PETROLEUM
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|  OVERVIEW
Petroleum exploration and development in Australian offshore areas (beyond three nautical miles (5.5 km) from the territorial sea baseline) is administered jointly by the Australian (Commonwealth) and State governments. Onshore petroleum operations, and those within the three nautical mile limit (‘coastal waters’), are the responsibility of the individual State and Territory governments.
Offshore petroleum operations beyond coastal waters are governed by Commonwealth legislation known as the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006. In Tasmanian coastal waters, exploration for petroleum is governed by mirror State legislation, the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982.
Under the Offshore Petroleum Act 2006, the Commonwealth and the State/Northern Territory jointly administer and regulate industry activities through a Joint Authority arrangement. The Joint Authority for the Tasmanian offshore area comprises the Australian Government Minister, currently Mr Martin Ferguson, Minister for Resources and Energy, and the Tasmanian Minister for Energy and Resources, currently Mr David Llewellyn. In addition under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, the Tasmanian Minister, acting through Mineral Resources Tasmania, is responsible for most day-to-day administration of the Act.
There have been a number of significant oil and gas discoveries within Tasmanian administered waters. These include:
- The Yolla/Bass Gas Development, where production commenced in late 2006.
- The Thylacine/Otway Gas Development, where production commenced in September 2007.
Adjacent to the Yolla/Bass Gas Development are two sub-economic gas discoveries. As demand and the price for gas increases, it is likely that the Trefoil and White Ibis discoveries will become economic, and supply the burgeoning gas market.
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| TENEMENTS
As at November 2008 there are 19 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Permits in Tasmanian administered waters. Of these, 10 are located in the Bass Basin, 8 in the Otway/Sorell Basin, and 1 in the Gippsland Basin. Current digital offshore tenement data can be downloaded.
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| FORMS
MRT maintains an efficient tenement administration system to provide for secure title for exploration, production and pipeline activities. We also ensure that offshore environmental management standards are maintained. Forms relating to many administrative processes are available for download.
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| DATA
Under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, petroleum exploration data must be submitted to the government. After a statutory confidentiality period, the data is made publically available. Tasmanian offshore exploration data available for free download includes scanned Well Completion and other reports, scanned seismic line images, and some digital processed seismic. Core and cuttings from offshore wells are stored at the MRT core library. In addition, Geoscience Australia provides online access to offshore petroleum-related data.
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