7Offence of prospecting or mining without authority

#### 7 Offence of prospecting or mining without authority 7 Offence of prospecting or mining without authority > > (1) A person must not prospect for or mine petroleum except in accordance with a petroleum title. > > > > Maximum penalty for prospecting in contravention of this section— > > > > > (a) in the case of a corporation—5,000 penalty units, and, in the case of a continuing offence, a further penalty of 500 penalty units for each day that the offence continues, or > > > > > (b) in the case of a natural person—1,000 penalty units or imprisonment for 5 years, or both, and, in the case of a continuing offence, a further penalty of 100 penalty units for each day that the offence continues. > > > > Maximum penalty for mining in contravention of this section— > > > > > (a) in the case of a corporation—10,000 penalty units, or > > > > > (b) in the case of an individual—2,000 penalty units or imprisonment for 5 years, or both. > > > (2) Nothing in this section prevents a person from prospecting for or mining petroleum if the person is entitled to do so by virtue of a legal instrument— > > > > > (a) approved by the Minister under Part 8, or > > > > > (b) approved under the [Mining Act 1992](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1992-029) by the Minister administering that Act. > > **s 7:** Am 1992 No 29, Sch 5; 2000 No 90, Sch 1.2 \[1\]; 2012 No 84, Sch 2.3 \[1\] \[2\].