Prohibition of Entry into a Greenhouse Gas Safety Zone

NOTICE OF GREENHOUSE GAS SAFETY ZONE

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006

I, Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan, Commonwealth Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, pursuant to section 617 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, hereby prohibit all vessels other than vessels under the control of the registered operator of the Noble Tom Prosser MODU facility, vessels under the control of the titleholder of VIC-GIP-002, and vessels operated by authorised persons who are exercising powers under section 615(1) of Division 1 of Part 6.6 of the above Act from entering or being present in the area of the greenhouse gas safety zone without the consent in writing of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority.

This greenhouse gas safety zone extends to a distance of 500 metres, measured from each point of the outer edge of the Carbon Capture and Storage Appraisal Well known as the Gular-1 (Latitude 38° 14’ 59.24” South, longitude 147° 29’ 3.58” East*)

*Note: the above are GDA94 coordinates.

The greenhouse gas safety zone will be valid from the date this notice is published in the Gazette until revoked by a subsequent notice published in the Gazette.

Where an unauthorised vessel enters or remains in the safety zone specified in contravention of this notice, the owner and the person in command or in charge of the vessel are each guilty of an offence against Section 617 of the Act and are punishable, upon conviction, by imprisonment for a term:

• not exceeding 15 years if the breach is determined as intentional.
• not exceeding 12.5 years if the breach is determined as recklessness.
• not exceeding 10 years if the breach is determined as negligence.
• not exceeding 5 years if the breach is determined as an offence of strict liability.

Dated this 12th day of November 2019.

Made under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan

Commonwealth Minister for Resources and Northern Australia