Chair of Taskforce
Offshore Streamlining Taskforce
Department of Industry
GPO Box 1564
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Email: offshoreenvironment@ret.gov.au
To the Chair Offshore Streamlining Taskforce
RE: SUBMISSION TO OFFSHORE STREAMLINING TASKFORCE
Thank you for the opportunity to attend the recent information session held in Perth and for the
opportunity to make a submission to the work being undertaken.
My questions relate to the Notice of Exemption for the National Plan as described in section 3.8 of
the National Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan 2011 (http://www.amsa.gov.au/environment/maritimeenvironmental-emergencies/national-plan/Contingency/Oil/index.asp):
3.8 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The responsible Minister has issued a Notice of Exemption for the National Plan under the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act. The effect of this
notice is that response actions taken in accordance with the National Plan are exempt from
the EPBC Act. In this context, the National Plan includes separate contingency plans for oil
and chemicals, supported by State/NT contingency plans, regional contingency plans,
contingency plans for ports, terminals and platforms, and vessel response plans.
It is important to note, however, that any response action contrary to one of these
contingency plans would be subject to the EPBC Act.
This exemption is particularly relevant to the use of chemical dispersants as a response strategy and
the National Plan requirement of only using approved Oil Spill Control Agents.
a) Will this exemption remain in place under the new streamlining arrangements?
b) If not, what are the implications for offshore oil spill response activities?
Yours sincerely
Mandy Dearden
1st December 2013