53Designated Authority may allow application for more than one discrete area

#### 53 Designated Authority may allow application for more than one discrete area (1) If: (a) a person (the first applicant) applies for an exploration licence; and (b) another person (the second applicant) subsequently applies for an exploration licence for a group of blocks that includes a block covered by the application made by the first applicant; and (c) an exploration licence is then granted to the first applicant; and (d) as a result of the grant, the blocks for which the second applicant can be granted an exploration licence no longer form a discrete area; the second applicant may apply to the Designated Authority for approval for the application to proceed even though the blocks it covers no longer form a discrete area. > Note: See also section 59. (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), the Designated Authority may approve the application proceeding even though the blocks that the application covers do not form a discrete area. (3) The Designated Authority may give an approval under subsection (2) only if the blocks covered by the application form not more than 3 discrete areas. (4) The Designated Authority may give an approval under subsection (1) only with the approval of the Joint Authority. (5) Subsection (4) does not apply to a block in an external territory offshore area. > Note: The responsible Commonwealth Minister is both the Designated Authority (see subsection 29(3)) and the Joint Authority (see subsection 32(3)) for an external territory offshore area.