{"id":"F2021L00567","name":"Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021","slug":"industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":440840,"registerId":"F2021L00567-fast-fetch-1775956326887","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nIndustry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021\n\nI, Keith Pitt, Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, make the following instrument.\n\nDated 11 May 2021\n\nKeith Pitt\n\nMinister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Definitions\n\n5 Prescribed program\n\n6 Specified legislative power\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Industry Research and Development (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) Instrument 2021.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered. 14 May 2021\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under section 33 of the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Industry Research and Development Act 1986.\n\nprogram: see subsection 5(1).\n\n5  Prescribed program\n\n (1) For the purposes of subsection 33(1) of the Act, the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program (the program) is prescribed.\n\n (2) The program provides funding for exploration activities to be undertaken in the Beetaloo sub‑basin to support the development of the Northern Territory gas industry.\n\n (3) The purpose of the program is to encourage and facilitate gas exploration in the Beetaloo sub‑basin.\n\n6  Specified legislative power\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 33(3) of the Act, the power of the Parliament to make laws with respect to the government of a Territory (within the meaning of section 122 of the Constitution) is specified.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: establishing a specific grants program for Beetaloo gas exploration. It has not expanded beyond this narrow function. The brevity suggests operational details (eligibility, assessment criteria, funding amounts) are contained in separate administrative documents rather than in the legislative instrument itself."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 6 operative sections","Minimal defined terms — only 2 definitions in section 4 ('Act' and 'program')","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Act (Industry Research and Development Act 1986)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or procedural requirements in the instrument itself","Straightforward purpose clause with no eligibility criteria or operational detail (these presumably sit in separate guidelines or funding agreements)","Single constitutional basis specified (section 122 — Territories power)"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument creates the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program, authorising taxpayer-funded grants to gas exploration companies to drill in the Beetaloo sub‑basin under the Industry Research and Development Act 1986. \n\nIt affects exploration firms, Northern Territory communities near the basin, and taxpayers, and matters because it accelerates fossil‑fuel development amid public concern about fracking, water risks, climate impacts, and the use of public money to subsidise private resource extraction."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument does not alter the Act’s substantive scope; it uses the Minister’s s33 power to add a named program (Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program) to the list of prescribed programs (s5) and specifies the Territory-law power as the relevant constitutional head (s6). It therefore narrows to a particular program without expanding legislative powers beyond the specification given."},"complexity_factors":["Concise single-purpose instrument that only prescribes one program (s5).","Relies on the Industry Research and Development Act 1986 for operational rules and funding mechanisms (s3 authority).","Specifies a constitutional locus for exercise of power (Parliamentary power re: Territories) without setting administrative procedures (s6).","Limited definitions and no procedural or eligibility details increase dependency on other instruments and departmental guidance for implementation (s4, s5).","Low statutory discretion in the instrument itself, but practical discretion likely sits with administering agency under the Act (implicit from absence of allocation rules)."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument formally prescribes the “Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program” under the Industry Research and Development Act 1986, making that specific exploration‑funding program eligible for the Act’s measures. It provides funding for exploration in the Beetaloo sub‑basin to support Northern Territory gas industry development and states its purpose is to encourage gas exploration (s5(1)–(3))."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021","history":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021/history","analysis":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/industry-research-and-development-beetaloo-cooperative-drilling-program-instrument-2021/documents"}}