320Applicant must obtain agreement of exploration, retention and mining licence holders affected by the application

320 Applicant must obtain agreement of exploration, retention and mining licence holders affected by the application

320 Applicant must obtain agreement of exploration, retention and mining licence holders affected by the application

(1) Subject to subsection (3), the applicant must obtain the agreement of interested licence holders to the application.

(2) The agreement must be in writing.

(3) The agreement of an interested licence holder is not necessary if:

(a) the application is for a scientific investigation, and

(b) Australia has obligations under international conventions to allow the investigation.

(4) For the purposes of this section, a licence holder is interested if:

(a) the holder holds an exploration, retention or mining licence, and

(b) the block concerned is inside the licence area.