The annual Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release is a key part of the Australian Government's strategy to encourage petroleum exploration in Australia’s offshore waters.
This consultation process is an opportunity for you to comment on potential areas for release and highlight how exploration activities may impact you. The government will consider submissions when determining which areas to release for bidding.
We seek to balance environmental, social and economic considerations in the development of Australia’s natural resources.
Submissions will be made public unless marked confidential.
Areas for consultation
Industry have nominated the following areas for consideration in the 2022 Offshore Petroleum Exploration acreage release:
- Bonaparte Basin
- Browse Basin
- Northern Carnarvon Basin
- Gippsland Basin
Shapefiles and A3 maps for the nominated areas are available at the bottom of this page. If you experience any issues with downloading files, contact us at petroleum.exploration@industry.gov.au.
Further information can be found on Geoscience Australia's mapping portal
What happens next
The government will assess any issues raised about a nominated area in the submissions. It will include an area in the 2022 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release if it considers the issues to be manageable through regulatory approvals processes.
We will announce the final areas via Australian Petroleum News. Please subscribe to the newsletter to be kept updated.
The release of acreage does not mean exploration activities will occur. Exploration companies must bid for a release area and be assessed as a deserving applicant prior to award of a petroleum exploration permit. Should a permit be awarded, it authorises the holder to apply to the regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), for approval to undertake an exploration activity.
Any work or forward planning by companies prior to an official release announcement is done at the commercial risk and cost of individual operators. The reader should rely on their own inquiries to independently confirm the information and comment on which they intend to act.
Related
- 2022 Proposed Consultation Areas (Shapefiles) (38KB ZIP)
- 2022 Proposed Consultation Areas (A3 Maps) (2.9MB PDF)
- Ofshore petroleum exploration acreage release process
- Investing in offshore petroleum exploration
- Regulating offshore oil and gas in Australian Commonwealth waters
- Offshore oil and gas exploration and development