{"id":"nsw:sl-2016-0499","name":"Petroleum (Offshore) Regulation 2016","slug":"petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"nsw","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"499 of 2016","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":177466,"registerId":"nsw-nsw:sl-2016-0499-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Name of Regulation","content":"#### 1 Name of Regulation\n\n1 Name of Regulation\n\n> This Regulation is the [Petroleum (Offshore) Regulation 2016](/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2016-0499).","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Commencement","content":"#### 2 Commencement\n\n2 Commencement\n\n> This Regulation commences on the day on which it is published on the NSW legislation website.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Definition","content":"#### 3 Definition\n\n3 Definition\n\n> > (1) In this Regulation:\n> > \n> > the Act means the [Petroleum (Offshore) Act 1982](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1982-023).\n> > \n> > Note.\n> > \n> > The Act and the [Interpretation Act 1987](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1987-015) contain definitions and other provisions that affect the interpretation and application of this Regulation.\n> \n> > (2) Notes included in this Regulation do not form part of this Regulation.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Fees","content":"#### 4 Fees\n\n4 Fees\n\n> The fee for the purposes of a provision of the Act specified in Schedule 1 is the fee specified opposite that provision.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Transfer of title","content":"#### 5 Transfer of title\n\n5 Transfer of title\n\n> The prescribed form for an instrument of transfer referred to in section 78 (3) (a) of the Act is the Form set out in Schedule 2.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Repeal and savings","content":"#### 6 Repeal and savings\n\n6 Repeal and savings\n\n> > (1) The [Petroleum (Offshore) Regulation 2006](/view/html/repealed/current/sl-2006-0439) is repealed.\n> \n> > (2) Any act, matter or thing that had effect under the [Petroleum (Offshore) Regulation 2006](/view/html/repealed/current/sl-2006-0439) immediately before the repeal of that Regulation is taken to have effect under this Regulation.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"Schedule 1","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Fees","content":"# Schedule 1 Fees\n\nSchedule 1 Fees\n\n(Clause 4)\n\n| Matter for which fee payable | Fee |\n| Application fees |\n| Exploration permit (section 22 (1) (f)) | $3,000 |\n| Exploration permit for surrendered, cancelled or determined block or blocks (section 25 (1) (a)) | $3,000 |\n| Exploration permit renewal (section 31 (2) (c)) | $1,200 |\n| Retention lease (section 39A (2) (e)) | $1,200 |\n| Retention lease renewal (section 39F (2) (d)) | $1,200 |\n| Production licence (section 42 (1) (e)) | $1,200 |\n| Production licence for surrendered, cancelled or determined block or blocks (section 49 (1) (a)) | $3,000 |\n| Production licence for individual blocks (section 52 (2) (e)) | $600 |\n| Production licence renewal (section 55 (2) (d)) | $1,200 |\n| Pipeline licence (section 65 (1) (f)) | $3,000 |\n| Pipeline licence renewal (section 69 (2) (c)) | $1,200 |\n| Pipeline licence variation (section 72 (2) (e)) | $600 |\n| Special prospecting authority (section 112 (2) (d)) | $600 |\n| Transfer fees |\n| Transfer fees generally (section 92 (2), (3) and (6)) | $600 |\n| Transfer fees for related corporations (section 92 (4) and (6A)) | $3,000 |\n| Annual fees |\n| Exploration permit (section 137) | $1,000, or $50 for each block to which the permit relates as at the beginning of the year concerned, whichever is the greater |\n| Retention lease (section 137A) | $6,000 for each block to which the lease relates as at the beginning of the year concerned |\n| Production licence (section 138) | $18,000 for each block to which the licence relates as at the beginning of the year concerned |\n| Pipeline licence (section 139) | $80 for each kilometre, or part of a kilometre, of the length of the pipeline as at the beginning of the year concerned |\n| Fees for the release of information |\n| Information contained in a document that is lent to the person making the request (section 119 (1A), (2), (5) and (5A)) | $25 for each day, or part of a day, during which the document is on loan |\n| Information contained in a document that is not readily available and for which a search has to be made (section 119 (1A), (2), (5) and (5A)) | $25 for each hour, or part of an hour after the first half hour, taken to locate the information |\n| Information that is, on the application of the person making the request, copied or reproduced or consigned to that person (section 119 (1A), (2), (5) and (5A)) | An amount equal to the costs incurred in the copying, reproduction or consignment, including the costs of packaging |\n| Fees for the inspection of cores, cuttings or samples |\n| Core, cutting or sample lent to the person making the request (section 119 (3) and (5)) | $25 for each day, or part of a day, during which the core, cutting or sample is on loan |\n| Core, cutting or sample that is not readily available and for which a search has to be made (section 119 (3) and (5)) | $25 for each hour, or part of an hour after the first half hour, taken to locate the core, cutting or sample |\n| Core, cutting or sample that is, on the application of the person making the request, consigned to that person (section 119 (3) and (5)) | An amount equal to the costs incurred in the consignment, including the costs of packaging |\n| Miscellaneous fees |\n| Register entry (section 79 (2) and (3) (b)) | $60 |\n| Inspection of Register and documents (section 86 (1)) | $12 per inspection |\n| Provision of copies of, or extracts from, Register or of or from certain other documents (section 87 (2)) | $2 per page |\n| Provision of evidentiary certificates (section 87 (3)) | $30 per certificate |","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"Schedule 2","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Form of instrument of transfer","content":"# Schedule 2 Form of instrument of transfer\n\nSchedule 2 Form of instrument of transfer\n\n(Clause 5)\n\nTransfer of title\n\nSection 78, [Petroleum (Offshore) Act 1982](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1982-023)\n\nI/We\\* \\[*name or names*\\] being the registered holder/holders\\* of \\[*type (eg exploration permit, production licence) and number of title being transferred*\\], in consideration of \\[*value of consideration for the transfer or value of title transferred*\\]1 hereby transfer all right, title and interest in that \\[*type (eg exploration permit, production licence) and number of title being transferred*\\] to \\[*name and address of transferee, or, if there are two or more transferees, of all transferees*\\].\n\nIN WITNESS of this transfer the parties to the transfer have affixed their respective common seals or signatures below on this day of 20 .\n\n| Transferor | Transferee |\n\n\\* *Delete whichever is inapplicable*\n\n1 If the transfer of the title is pursuant to a dealing that has been approved and registered under the Act, insert a reference that is sufficient to identify that dealing.","sortOrder":7}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient substantive content was provided to assess whether the regulation's scope changed from its original intent. The regulation has had no amendments since commencement in August 2016, which suggests its scope has remained static, but the actual provisions are not available in the supplied text to confirm alignment with original intent."},"complexity_factors":["Only administrative metadata was provided — no substantive provisions are available for analysis","The underlying subject matter (offshore petroleum regulation) is inherently technical and complex, but cannot be assessed from this text","Interaction with the parent Petroleum (Offshore) Act and Commonwealth offshore petroleum framework would normally add complexity","Staged repeal mechanism under the Subordinate Legislation Act 1989 adds a procedural layer to consider"],"plain_english_summary":"The Petroleum (Offshore) Regulation 2016 (NSW) is a subordinate regulation under the Petroleum (Offshore) Act governing offshore oil and gas activity in NSW waters. The provided document contains only administrative metadata (made 12 Aug 2016; never amended; automatically repeals 1 Sep 2026) and not the substantive rules, so specific obligations, fees or penalties can’t be summarised. Affected parties—licensees and regulators—should consult the full text from the NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office."},"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulation primarily codifies administrative matters—fees (cl 4 and Schedule 1), a prescribed transfer form (cl 5 and Schedule 2) and repeal/savings (cl 6). It continues existing rights and acts under the prior regulation (cl 6(2)) rather than expanding substantive regulatory scope under the Petroleum (Offshore) Act 1982, so the practical scope of regulated activity is not changed by this instrument."},"complexity_factors":["Numerous discrete fee items and categories (application, transfer, annual, information, inspection, consignment) in Schedule 1 increasing administrative detail","Fees computed by different bases (flat amounts, per‑block, per‑kilometre, greater‑of rules) requiring calculation for each title","Cross‑references to multiple sections of the Petroleum (Offshore) Act 1982 for applicability of fees and instruments","Simple prescribed transfer form (Schedule 2) but legal effect depends on Act’s s.78 registration and related dealing identification","Repeal and savings provision (cl 6) preserves continuity, creating procedural but not substantive change","Definitions and commencement rely on the Act and the Interpretation Act, adding interpretive linkage"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation sets the administrative rules for offshore petroleum titles: it fixes the fees for applications, transfers, annual charges and information or sample access; prescribes the required form for transfer instruments; and repeals the 2006 regulation while preserving existing acts under that instrument (Sch 1; cl 5; cl 6). It matters to permit and licence holders, applicants, transferees and anyone requesting documents or samples because it determines who pays, how much, and the formal steps needed to transfer or access records."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Regulation maintains the same narrow scope as its 2006 predecessor. It remains purely administrative—setting fees and providing a standard form—without expanding into substantive regulatory matters like environmental protection, safety standards, or operational requirements. The repeal and replacement appears to be a routine update rather than a scope expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Only 6 substantive clauses plus 2 schedules","Minimal defined terms (only 'the Act' is explicitly defined in the Regulation itself)","No nested conditional logic or cross-referencing between sections","Straightforward fee schedule with simple arithmetic calculations (per block, per kilometre, per hour)","Single-purpose form in Schedule 2 with basic boilerplate language","No exceptions, exemptions, or discretionary powers created in the Regulation itself"],"plain_english_summary":"This Regulation sets out the administrative details for offshore petroleum exploration and production in New South Wales waters. It does three main things:\n\n**1. Sets fees for permits and licences**\nCompanies wanting to explore for or extract oil and gas in NSW offshore waters must pay various fees to the government. These include:\n- **Application fees**: $600–$3,000 depending on the type of permit or licence (exploration permits, production licences, pipeline licences, etc.)\n- **Annual fees**: Ongoing charges based on how many blocks (areas of seabed) the company holds, or how long their pipeline is\n- **Transfer fees**: $600–$3,000 when a company sells or transfers its rights to another company\n- **Information fees**: Charges for accessing government records about petroleum operations ($25 per day for document loans, $2 per page for copies, etc.)\n\n**2. Provides a standard form for transferring titles**\nWhen a company wants to sell or transfer its exploration permit or production licence to another company, they must use the official form in Schedule 2. This ensures all transfers are documented consistently.\n\n**3. Repeals the old 2006 Regulation**\nThis 2016 version replaces the previous 2006 Regulation, but any approvals or actions taken under the old rules remain valid.\n\n**Who it affects**: Oil and gas companies operating (or wanting to operate) in NSW offshore waters, and the NSW government department that administers these permits.\n\n**Why it matters**: This is essentially the 'price list' and 'paperwork guide' for offshore petroleum activities. Without these fees and forms, the system for granting and managing oil and gas rights wouldn't function."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016","history":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016/history","analysis":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/petroleum-offshore-regulation-2016/documents"}}