The creation of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) follows recommendations by the Productivity Commission and the Montara Inquiry, with the aim of bringing greater consistency and efficiency to offshore petroleum regulation in Commonwealth waters.

NOPSEMA is an expansion of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) and regulates safety, environmental management and day-to-day operations of petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities. NOPTA will make recommendations on offshore titles and administer them. Both are based in Perth with offices in Melbourne.

Federal Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson said these two bodies have wide-ranging responsibilities to ensure the industry is among the world’s best and safest, and will reinforce Perth as the major oil and gas centre for southeast Asia.

The existing NOPSA Board has become the new NOPSEMA Board, along with the appointment of Gerard Early. Mr Early is a former deputy secretary at the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, and has extensive experience in environmental management and regulation.

Article continues below…

Three NOPSA Board members whose terms were nearing expiry have also been reappointed:

  • Dr Lynne Chester, Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, Undergraduate Curriculum Co-ordinator, School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney;
  • Dr Michael Ollis, retired Vice President, Asset Team Leader, BHP Billiton Petroleum; and,
  • Anthony Pooley, Director, Principle Seven Risk Consulting and Adjunct Associate Professor on Safety-Risk Management at the University of South Australia.

The Board will focus on inherent safety in design, improving industry-performance measures, the implications of ageing facilities, drilling, rapid industry growth, legislation and regulation.