Community information
Who we are
NOPSEMA is Australia’s independent regulator for health and safety, well integrity and environmental management for offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities in Commonwealth waters (comprising the first three nautical miles of the territorial sea) and coastal waters where regulatory powers and functions have been conferred.
NOPSEMA was established in 2012 under section 646 of the Offshore Petroleum Greenhouse Gas Act 2006 (the Act) following a formal recommendation arising from the Montara Commission of Inquiry. The inquiry examined the 2009 Montara oil spill which occurred north of Australia in the Timor Sea and is considered one of Australia's worst oil spill disasters.
NOPSEMA’s effectiveness as a regulator is independently reviewed every five years. The last review was undertaken in 2015 and found NOPSEMA to be 'demonstrating the characteristics of an effective regulator'. The next review will occur in 2020.
What we do
NOPSEMA assesses key permissioning documents, such as an environment plan, against strict criteria as set out in the Act and its regulations; inspects an oil and gas company's compliance with the Act, its regulations and accepted permissioning documents; investigates all reports of non-compliance; takes enforcement action to rectify non-compliance and hold parties to account and; provides advice on safety, well integrity and environmental management matters to improve understanding, promote compliance, and encourage continuous improvement.
What we don't do
The petroleum exploration acreage release is the responsibility of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
The administration of offshore petroleum titles is the responsibility of the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA).
Community resources
Open for comment
To view exploration environment plans and offshore project proposals that are open for public comment see our consultation hub.
Approved activities
To view and subscribe to environment plans currently under assessment and/or approved see our industry environment plans website.
FAQs
NOPSEMA has published general FAQs and a bulletin for Clarifying statutory requirements and good practice consultation (PDF 708KB)
Current operators & diving plans
NOPSEMA publishes a register of current operators and a Register of current diving safety management systems and diving project plans (PDF 122KB).
Freedom of information
See the freedom of information (FOI) page for more information regarding access to a document or documents that may be held by NOPSEMA. NOPSEMA maintains a disclosure log for those documents published under FOI.
Feedback & complaints
NOPSEMA treats feedback on the discharge of regulatory function seriously. All feedback is acknowledged, reviewed and addressed accordingly. NOPSEMA addresses all complaints with respect and confidentiality. To lodge feedback or to make a complaint please email feedback@nopsema.gov.au
Relevant publications
Relevant maps
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NOPSEMA's jurisdiction |
2018–19 offshore activity map |
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Relevant videos
NOPSEMA has created this oil spill modelling video to provide the community with an understanding of what oil spill modelling is and why it is required for the preparation of environment plans.