The Australian oil and gas industry has welcomed the federal government's move to address the approval process for offshore projects.
Traditional owners have mounted successful Federal Court challenges to two major projects, Woodside's Scarborough gas field, off the coast of Western Australia, and Santos' Barossa in the Timor Sea.
In September Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper argued that seismic testing for the Scarborough project 375km off the coast of Western Australia could harm her songline, including whales and turtles.
The court ruled that the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) wrongly approved the permit before Woodside had consulted with Murujuga traditional custodians on seismic testing work, a precursor to drilling.
Similarly, in 2022 Justice Mordecai Bromberg ruled the offshore gas regulator should not have approved environmental plans to drill in the Barossa gas field, 265km northwest of Darwin, because Santos had not sufficiently consulted traditional owners from the Tiwi Islands.
On Friday, Australian Energy Producers said the Australian government’s offshore regulation consultation paper would kick-start an overdue process to address uncertainty and complexity with the national offshore regulatory approvals system.
Australian Energy Producers chief executive Samantha McCulloch said urgent reforms were needed to address almost two years of regulatory uncertainty.
“Regulations must provide clarity and certainty for industry, while maintaining comprehensive and meaningful consultation with traditional owners and stakeholders," she said.
“We have been calling for the federal government to fast-track a solution to this broken offshore environmental approval system for months.
“The paper is a welcome step in the right direction at a time when Australian households and businesses require new gas supply to be developed to ensure reliable and affordable energy.”
On Monday the Federal Court will make a ruling on a separate challenge to Santos' Barossa project by Tiwi Islander Simon Munkara.
