Legislation and regulations

NOPSEMA has functions and powers conferred on it under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act) and its regulations. The OPGGS Act primarily provides that NOPSEMA is the regulator for health and safety, well integrity and environmental management of petroleum exploration and development activities in Australia’s offshore areas beyond the first three nautical miles of the territorial sea. It also has similar functions where these are conferred on it under relevant State and NT offshore legislation covering the area within the first the first three nautical miles.

NOPSEMA is a cost recovery agency and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act 2003 enables specific levies for OHS, Well Integrity and Environmental Management regulatory activities.

A list of the associated regulations is provided below:

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Safety) Regulations 2009

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2011

• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Regulations 2004. 

The relevant legislation relating to State and Northern Territory waters can be found via the following links:

• Western Australia – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (WA)

• Victoria – Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2010 (VIC)

• Northern Territory – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1981 (NT)

• South Australia – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (SA)

• Tasmania – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (TAS)

• Queensland – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (QLD)

• New South Wales – Petroleum (Offshore) Act 1982 (NSW)