15Grant of licence

15 Grant of licence (1) Where 28 days have elapsed since the date on which the last of the notices required by section 13(5) to be published was published, the Minister may, after taking into consideration any representations and comments lodged in accordance with the statement referred to in section 13(4a)(c) and the matters referred Energy Pipelines Act 1981 18 to in subsection (2), grant to the applicant a licence in respect of the proposed pipeline and shall cause to be published in the Gazette a notice that the licence has been granted. (2) In considering an application for a licence the Minister shall have regard to: (a) the public interest; (b) the financial and technical ability of the applicant to construct, operate and maintain the proposed pipeline; (c) whether the construction of the proposed pipeline or any apparatus or works on the land specified in the application would contravene the development provisions, or an interim development control order, under the Planning Act 1999; (d) whether the construction of the proposed pipeline or apparatus or works would be likely to interfere unnecessarily with: (i) improvements on; (ii) flora, fauna, fish, fisheries and scenic attractions on or in the vicinity of; or (iii) any features of architectural, archaeological, historical or geological interest on or in the vicinity of, the land specified in the application; and (e) the effect that the grant of the licence would have or be likely to have on registered native title rights and interests or, if there are no registered native title rights or interests in relation to any of the affected land or waters, any comments lodged by representative Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander bodies in accordance with the statement referred to in section 13(4A)(c).