160Rent payable in relation to Crown land

160 Rent payable in relation to Crown land

(1) This section applies if a petroleum operation being conducted under an authority involves the ongoing occupancy of Crown land.

(2) The holder of the authority is liable to pay to the Minister rent for the occupancy of that land.

(3) The amount of rent payable is to be that specified by the Minister in the authority, or if no rent is specified in the authority, the amount required by the regulations.

Part 11—Other obligations on the holders of authorities

Division 1—Conduct of operations etc.

161 Operation plan to be prepared

(1) Before carrying out any petroleum operation, the holder of the authority under which the operation is to be carried out must give the Minister an operation plan—

S. 161(1)(a) amended by No. 55/2010 s. 61.

(a) that identifies the risks that the operation may pose to the environment, to any member of the public, land or property in the vicinity of the operation and to any petroleum, source of petroleum or reservoir that the operation might affect; and

(b) that specifies what the holder of the authority will do to eliminate or minimise those risks; and

(c) that specifies what the holder of the authority will do to rehabilitate the land that will be affected by the operation; and

(d) that sets out any other matters required by the regulations.

S. 161(1A) inserted by No. 20/2020 s. 20(1).

(1A) In the course of preparing an operation plan for a petroleum operation, the holder of the authority—

(a) must give notice of the proposed operation to any relevant person or organisation; and

(b) may give notice of the proposed operation to any other person or organisation that the holder of the authority considers appropriate.

S. 161(1B) inserted by No. 20/2020 s. 20(1).

(1B) A notice under subsection (1A) must—

(a) contain sufficient information to allow the person or organisation to make an informed assessment of any impact that the petroleum operation may have on the activities or interests of that person or organisation; and

(b) state that the person or organisation may, within a reasonable period of receiving the notice, make a submission to the holder of the authority about the operation plan; and

S. 161(1C) inserted by No. 20/2020 s. 20(1).

(1C) The Minister must, within a reasonable time after receiving an operation plan under subsection (1)—

(a) refuse to accept the operation plan; or

(b) accept the operation plan subject to any conditions that the Minister considers appropriate.