46Community consultation

46 Community consultation

(1) This section applies if an applicant for approval of an injection testing plan is not required to undertake an Environmental Effects Statement in accordance with the Environment Effects Act 1978 in respect of the works proposed in the plan.

(2) The Minister must, on receiving an application for approval of an injection testing plan, cause to be published in a newspaper circulating generally throughout Victoria a notice providing—

(a) that the Minister has received an application for approval of an injection testing plan; and

(b) details of the place or places at which a copy or a summary of the application and a copy or summary of the accompanying plan may be examined; and

(c) that any person or body interested in the application may request and on payment of the prescribed fee receive from the Minister a summary of the application; and

(d) that any person or body interested in the application may within 21 days of the publication of the notice comment in writing on the application; and

(e) that any person or body interested in the application may ask the Minister in writing to be notified if the Minister approves the injection testing plan.

(3) At the expiration of 21 days from the publication of a notice under subsection (2) the Minister may if any written comments have been received from any person or body interested in the application in accordance with subsection (2)(d) hold a conference in accordance with section 47.

(4) The Minister must consider any written comments received under subsection (2)(d) before approving an injection testing plan.

(5) If the Minister receives a request under subsection (2)(e), the Minister must notify the person or body that made the request that it has approved the injection testing plan by—

(a) sending notice of the issue to the person and body (or if a request is made by a number of people or bodies jointly, to a representative of those people or bodies); or

(b) publishing notice of the issue in a newspaper circulating generally throughout Victoria.