126Grant of special access authorisation

126 Grant of special access authorisation

(1) The Minister may grant or refuse to grant a special access authorisation.

(2) In determining whether or not to grant a special access authorisation, the Minister must take into account the geological and geophysical nature of the area in respect of which the application is made, and any discoveries that have been made in the area by any other person.

(3) The Minister must not grant an application for an authorisation unless he or she is satisfied that the applicant—

(a) has the technical qualifications (or has employees that have the technical qualifications), has access to the technical advice and has the financial resources that will be necessary to enable the operations proposed in the application to be undertaken; and

(b) has the ability to comply with this Act.

(4) The Minister must not grant an authorisation in respect of an area unless he or she is satisfied that the size of the area is appropriate having regard to the operations proposed in respect of the area by the person applying for the authorisation.