{"id":"F2018L01249","name":"Offshore Minerals (Retention Licence Fees) Regulations 2018","slug":"offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":439761,"registerId":"F2018L01249-fast-fetch-1775955658761","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Offshore Minerals (Retention 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 (Retention 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\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Schedules\n\n5 Definitions\n\n6 Amount of retention licence fee\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nOffshore Minerals (Retention Licence Fees) Regulations\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Offshore Minerals (Retention 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instrument is registered. 1 September 2018\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made.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 (Retention Licence Fees) Act 1994.\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 (Retention Licence Fees) Act 1994.\n\n6  Amount of retention licence fee\n\n  For the purposes of subsection 4(2) of the Act, the amount of the fee for a year of the term of a retention licence is the amount obtained by multiplying $200 by the number of blocks covered by the licence at the beginning of the year.\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\nOffshore Minerals (Retention Licence Fees) Regulations\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument repeals the earlier Offshore Minerals (Retention Licence Fees) Regulations in full (Schedule 1) and prescribes a single fee formula: $200 per block per year for retention licences (reg 6), thereby redefining the regulatory content to the fee quantum and replacing the prior regulations' text."},"complexity_factors":["Single, formulaic fee calculation (reg 6) — low legal complexity.","Cross-reference to the parent Act and subsection 4(2) requires consultation of primary legislation for procedural context.","Complete repeal of the prior instrument (Schedule 1) creates a transitional/legal effect to be managed administratively.","Very short instrument with minimal definitions (only 'Act') reduces interpretive ambiguity.","Operational complexity depends on determining the 'number of blocks' from licences and mapping, which is handled outside this instrument.","No exemptions or procedural detail in the instrument shifts compliance and enforcement mechanics to agencies under the Act."],"plain_english_summary":"**This regulation sets the annual retention‑licence fee under the Offshore Minerals (Retention Licence Fees) Act 1994 at $200 multiplied by the number of blocks covered by the licence (reg 6) and repeals the prior retention‑licence fee regulations (Schedule 1).**\n\nLicence holders pay the fee each year; the cost scales directly with the number of blocks, creating a predictable per‑block charge. Administration and enforcement follow the Act’s processes; the instrument contains no exemptions or detailed procedural rules."},"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"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow purpose: setting retention licence fees. It updates the fee calculation method from the 1994 regulations but does not expand beyond this specific administrative function."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: only 6 substantive sections plus a repeal schedule","Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the interpretation section","Single, simple mathematical formula for calculating fees ($200 × number of blocks)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the enabling Act","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Straightforward repeal of previous instrument in Schedule 1"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument sets the annual charge for offshore minerals retention licences at $200 per seabed “block,” payable at the start of each year. It replaces the 1994 regulations and applies to companies holding retention licences in Commonwealth offshore waters.\n\nBy pricing licence retention, it ensures holders contribute for keeping exploration rights and helps deter long-term squatting on valuable areas."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018","history":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/offshore-minerals-retention-licence-fees-regulations-2018/documents"}}