National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority

NOPSEMA is an independent statutory authority established under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act). It is a corporate Commonwealth entity under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, and an independent statutory agency under the Public Service Act 1999. NOPSEMA is part of the Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio. NOPSEMA regulates all offshore areas in Commonwealth waters, which comprise those areas beyond the first three nautical miles (approximately 5.5 kilometres) of the territorial sea. NOPSEMA also regulates all offshore areas in coastal waters where a state or the Northern Territory has conferred regulatory powers and functions. In jurisdictions where powers to regulate are not conferred, regulatory responsibilities remain with the relevant state or territory. As of November 2018, Victoria continues to be the only jurisdiction to have conferred its functions for the regulation of health and safety and structural integrity to NOPSEMA. Discussions regarding the conferral of powers continue with other jurisdictions. The Joint Petroleum Development Area in the Timor Sea is regulated by the National Petroleum Authority (Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo) of Timor-Leste on behalf of the Australian Government and the Government of Timor-Leste.