The Petroleum Amendment Bill 2023 (the Bill), introduced to Parliament in November, aims to strengthen the State's petroleum legislation and support the industrial and resources sectors' transition to net-zero emissions.
The Bill proposes amendments to the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967, Petroleum Pipelines Act 1969 (PPA) and Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (collectively referred to as the Petroleum Acts).
It is an amalgamation of three separate petroleum amendment bills, which have all undergone individual consultation.
- Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
- Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2022
- Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill (B) 2023
The Bill seeks to amend the Petroleum Acts to enable the transport and geological storage of greenhouse gas and permit the exploration and production of prescribed regulated substances, such as naturally occurring hydrogen.
In addition, the Bill will facilitate the electronic lodgement and service of documentation and address a number of operational petroleum matters.
Collectively, the proposed amendments will enable industry to pursue a range of projects that will contribute to achieving the State' objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Once the Bill has passed, a secondary stage of legislative amendments will be required to implement the framework for greenhouse gas storage and transport, and regulated substances, as well as all supporting guidelines.
The response to submissions on the greenhouse gas storage and transport amendments (Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill (B) 2023) is available on the department's website, as well as the response to the hydrogen amendments.
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety would like to thank all stakeholders for their considered feedback on the amendments.
The department will continue to engage with stakeholders when developing the amendments and guidance materials.
