{"id":"F2018L01242","name":"Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations 2018","slug":"offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":439755,"registerId":"F2018L01242-fast-fetch-1775955656652","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations 2018","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\nOffshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations 2018\n\nI, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Ret’d), Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following regulations.\n\nDated 30 August 2018\n\nPeter Cosgrove\n\nGovernor‑General\n\nBy His Excellency’s Command\n\nMatt Canavan\n\nMinister for Resources and Northern Australia\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Schedules\n\n5 Definitions\n\n6 Amount of exploration licence fee\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nOffshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations 2018.\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instrument is registered. 1 September 2018\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made.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 the Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Act 1981.\n\n4  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n5  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Act 1981.\n\n6  Amount of exploration licence fee\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 4(2) of the Act, the amount of the fee in respect of a year of the term of an exploration licence is the greater of:\n\n (a) $600; and\n\n (b) the amount obtained by multiplying $20 by the number of blocks covered by the licence at the beginning of the year.\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\nOffshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: setting the specific dollar amounts for offshore minerals exploration licence fees. The 2018 version updates the fee amounts but does not expand the scope beyond the original intent of the 1981 Act."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: only 6 substantive sections plus a repeal schedule","Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the interpretation section","Single straightforward mathematical formula with a simple 'greater of' comparison","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling Act","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Clear linear structure: definitions → operative provision → repeal"],"plain_english_summary":"This law sets the annual fee for holding an Australian offshore minerals exploration licence as the greater of $600 or $20 per offshore “block,” so licence-holders pay a baseline amount and larger-area holders pay proportionally more.  \n\nIt affects mining and energy companies exploring Australia’s offshore grid and the Government (fee revenue), and it replaces the previous fee regulations."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument replaces the prior Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Regulations (Schedule 1) and sets a clear fee formula (reg 6). It changes the operative fee instrument and the specific fee calculation method, but does not itself create new regulatory powers beyond those conferred by the Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Act 1981 (reg 3)."},"complexity_factors":["Single substantive provision setting a numeric formula for the annual fee (reg 6).","Straightforward greater‑of calculation: fixed floor ($600) versus per‑block rate ($20 × blocks) reduces interpretive ambiguity.","Cross‑reference to parent Act for authority (reg 3) — requires checking the Act only for who is covered and enforcement rules.","Schedule 1 repeals the previous instrument, so implementers must replace prior administrative practice but not apply layered rules.","Low compliance burden: licence holders must determine block count at the start of each year; potential minor administrative effort to record and verify block counts."],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation fixes the annual fee for offshore mineral exploration licences. For each licence year the fee is the greater of $600 or $20 multiplied by the number of licence blocks at the start of the year (reg 6). It is made under the Offshore Minerals (Exploration Licence Fees) Act 1981 (reg 3).\n\nIt applies to holders of offshore exploration licences (they pay) and replaces the earlier fees instrument by repeal (Schedule 1). Mechanically, compliance requires counting blocks at the beginning of each year and applying the formula (reg 6)."},"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/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018","history":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-exploration-licence-fees-regulations-2018/documents"}}