118Release of information

118 Release of information (1) The Minister may, at any time, make available to a Minister of State of the Commonwealth or of a State of the Commonwealth: (a) any information contained in a document to which this section applies that has been furnished to the Minister; and (b) any cores or cuttings from, or samples of, the sea-bed or subsoil in a block, or samples of petroleum recovered in a block, that have been furnished to the Minister. (1A) The Minister may, at any time after the grant or renewal, or refusal to grant or renew, a permit, lease, licence, pipeline licence, access authority or special prospecting authority: any information contained in, or accompanying, the application for the grant or renewal, as the case may be, but not including: (c) information of a kind referred to in subsection (2) or (5A); or

Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1981 119 (d) particulars of: (i) the technical qualifications of the applicant and of the employees of the applicant; (ii) the technical advice available to the applicant; or (iii) the financial resources available to the applicant. (2) The Minister may, at any time after the relevant day: any information contained in a document to which this section applies that has been furnished to the Minister, being information that relates to the sea-bed or subsoil, or to petroleum, in a block, but not including any matter contained in a document to which this section applies that, in the opinion of the Minister, is a conclusion drawn, in whole or in part, from, or an opinion based, in whole or in part, on, any such information. (3) The Minister may, at any time after the relevant day: (a) make publicly known any particulars of; or Regulations, permit that person to inspect, any cores or cuttings from, or samples of, the sea-bed or subsoil in a block, or samples of petroleum recovered in a block, that have been furnished to the Minister or have been made available to the Minister under subsection (1). (4) For the purposes of subsections (2) and (3): (a) where: (i) a permit or lease is in force in respect of the block; and (ii) the document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister during the period during which any of the following were in force in respect of the block: (A) the permit or lease;

Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1981 120 (B) in a case where a lease is in force in respect of the block – the permit that ceased to be in force in respect of the block by virtue of section 38B(7) on the day on which the lease came into force, the relevant day is the day on which the period of 2 years that commenced on the day on which the Minister expires; (b) where: (i) a licence is in force in respect of the block; and (ii) the document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister during the period during which any of the following were in force in respect of the block: (A) the licence; (B) the permit or lease that ceased to be in force in respect of the block by virtue of section 44(5) on the day on which the licence came into force, the relevant day is the day on which the period of 12 months that commenced on the day on which the Minister expires; (c) where the document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister during a period during which a permit, lease or licence was in force in respect of the block and: (i) the permit, lease or licence is surrendered, cancelled or determined as to the block; or (ii) the permit, lease or licence expires but is not renewed in respect of the block, the relevant day is the day on which the permit, lease or licence is so surrendered, cancelled or determined or expires, as the case may be, whether another permit, lease or licence is subsequently in force in respect of the block or not; (d) where: (i) the document, core, cutting or sample was furnished to the Minister at a time when a permit, lease or licence was not in force in respect of the block; and