Implementation of the Government’s response includes a suite of initiatives that involve potential amendments to legislation and improvements to strengthen and clarify the administrative and operating practices of the regulator and the offshore petroleum industry.
Recommendation 71 of the Commission of Inquiry report provided that: “there should be a review to determine whether it is appropriate to introduce a rigorous civil penalty regime and/or substantially increase some or all of the penalties that can be imposed for breaches of legislative requirements relating to well integrity and safety.”
The Government accepted this recommendation, noting that the Commonwealth is considering amending the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to provide the power to impose a civil penalty regime and will also consider increasing some or all of the existing penalties. An Issues Paper has been prepared and submissions from interested parties are sought by 5pm, 16 December 2011.
The Issues Paper identifies and proposes matters and issues for consideration in a review of compliance and enforcement measures in the Offshore Petroleum Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 and its associated regulations.
Related documents
- Issues Paper: A rigorous compliance and enforcement regime for offshore petroleum activities in Australia [
PDF, 105KB | 
DOC, 239KB]