Div 8Consolidation and division of licence areas etc

Division 8—Consolidation and division of licence areas etc 82—Consolidation of licence areas (1) The Minister may, by agreement with a licensee or prospective licensee, consolidate adjacent licence areas into a single licence area. (2) If a licence or licences have already been issued for 1 or more of the licence areas to be consolidated, the Minister may— (a) vary the licence or licences, and provide for or vary such terms and conditions attaching to the licence or licences as the Minister considers appropriate in view of the consolidation; or (b) amalgamate 2 or more licences, and provide for such terms and conditions attaching to the amalgamated licence as the Minister considers appropriate in view of the consolidation. (2a) The rights of the holder of a licence under subsection (2) are not to be more extensive than those existing under the relevant licence or licences immediately before any variation or amalgamation under that subsection. (a) a reference to a licence area extends to an area for which an application for a licence has been made; and (b) a reference to adjacent licence areas extends to 2 or more areas which are within the vicinity of each other. 83—Division of licence areas (1) The Minister may, by agreement with a licensee, divide a licence area into separate areas so that each becomes subject to a different licence. (2) On dividing a licence area, the Minister— (a) may vary the existing licence by excising part of the licence area and issue a new licence for the balance of the area (on terms and conditions the Minister considers appropriate and for a term equal to the balance of the term of the existing licence); or (b) issue new licences in place of the existing licence (each of which is then taken to be a continuation, in part, of the existing licence). (2a) The rights of the holder of the licence issued under subsection (2) are not to be more extensive than those existing under the relevant licence immediately before any division under this section. (3) If the area to which an exploration licence relates is divided, there must be no reduction of the aggregate work to be carried out. (4) Each of the following will be taken to be an original licence area for the purposes of section 26(3): (a) the area remaining after an excision under subsection (2)(a); (b) the area of any new licence under subsection (2)(a) or (b).