Regulatory Reform Omnibus Act 2025 (73 of 2025)

Schedule 3   Amendments to reduce regulatory burden

Part 3   Strengthening information sharing for more consistent regulatory outcomes

Division 1   Main amendments

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006

28   At the end of subsection 739(2)

Add:

; or (e) for any of the following purposes:

(i) coordinating the management of, or responding to, a serious situation, relating to an identified greenhouse gas storage formation specified in a greenhouse gas injection licence, in relation to which the responsible Commonwealth Minister has given a direction under section 380;

(ii) coordinating the management of, or responding to, a significant offshore petroleum incident in relation to which NOPSEMA has given a direction in accordance with section 576B;

(iii) coordinating the management of, or responding to, a declared oil pollution emergency.

(3) If the responsible Commonwealth Minister or the Titles Administrator permits a person to inspect the sample for a purpose mentioned in paragraph (2)(e), the responsible Commonwealth Minister or the Titles Administrator may, at any time, by written notice to the person, impose conditions in relation to:

(a) the person's use of the sample; or

(b) whether, and the extent to which, the person may permit any other person to inspect the sample.

(4) A notice under subsection (3) is not a legislative instrument.

Administration of other Acts

(5) Despite subsection (2), the responsible Commonwealth Minister or the Titles Administrator may permit an agency or authority of the Commonwealth to inspect the sample for the purposes of the administration of one or more of the following Acts:

(a) the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;

(b) the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981;

(c) the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021.

(6) If the responsible Commonwealth Minister or the Titles Administrator does so, the agency or authority must not:

(a) make publicly known any details of the sample; or

(b) permit any other person (other than a Minister, a Minister of a State or a Minister of the Northern Territory) to inspect the sample.