166ASurveys and drilling operations

166A Surveys and drilling operations

(1) The Minister may authorise in writing any person to enter, or fly over, any land for the purpose of making a land, geothermal or geological survey on behalf of the Department.

(2) The Minister may authorise in writing any person to enter any land for the purpose of the carrying out by the Department of any drilling operations for the purpose of carrying out geothermal or geological tests.

(3) A person authorised to enter land under subsection (1) or (2)—

(a) may do any thing on the land that is necessary for the purposes of the survey or drilling operations; and

(b) must cause as little harm and inconvenience and do as little damage as possible to the land and anything on or growing on the land; and

(c) must remain on the land only for so long as is reasonably necessary; and

(d) must remove from the land on completion of the survey or drilling operations all plant, machinery, equipment, goods or buildings brought onto, or erected on, the land other than any of those things that the owner or occupier agrees may be left on the land; and

(e) must leave the land, as nearly as possible, in the condition in which it was immediately before the commencement of the survey or drilling operations; and

(f) must use the person's best endeavours to co‑operate with the owner and occupier.

(4) Part 8 applies to any survey under subsection (1) or drilling operations under subsection (2)—

(a) as if a reference in that Part to an authority holder were a reference to the Department; and

(b) as if a reference in that Part to the carrying out of a geothermal energy operation were a reference to the carrying out of the survey or drilling operations, as the case requires.

Division 3—Fees and penalties